Two Worlds
by rayford
Summary: The tale of a Tauren Shaman, and his quest to aid a Night Elf Druid.
1. Chapter 1 Intro

Author's notes: Hello all. Your friendly neighborhood Rayford here. Just want to start off by thanking you all for taking time out of your day for reading my story. I'm still really new at this (my 2nd fanfic ever), and so, if you've got any advice or anything that can help me out, I'd appreciate it. Also, if there's anything that I missed/botched, feel free to let me know. I've got a few chapters written already, so those will go up fast, with updates every few days, or every other week, at most. At least, I hope. That is, if I'm not playing WoW. : p Anyway, legal junk. This story is copywritten by me. I own it. Not you. Because I said so first. ( : The character names are not copywritten by me, however. I simply chose them off the top of my head. But don't claim that they're yours, because that would be lying, and lying is wrong. Also, I don't own WoW. Neither do you. Unless you're Blizzard, in which case, I take it back. You own WoW. Alrighty, enough out of me. Here's the tale. Hope you enjoy.

Rayford smiled as he approached his destination. He could hear the music, catcalls, and arguing that surrounded his favorite bar. Nestled in a back alley, the Booty Bar was a bit of a tough joint. Most newcomers would leave shortly after entering. The only problem was they'd leave on a stretcher, after getting caught up in one of the bars many fights. Those that came back became regulars pretty quick. Rayford was one such regular. He'd return again and again for the drinks, mainly. But the entertainment that the bar provided was an additional draw. Occasionally, on off nights, there would be a band, or some goblin attempting to provide comedic relief to the diversified group of attendees. But most nights one could walk in and find other forms of entertainment. The female kind.

Rayford pushed open the door, and was immediately assailed by the stench that must be that night's special. The bar always had some sort of special drink and most of them not any good. Ducking under a mug that was sent flying by an angry Gnome, Rayford settled himself at his usual table. Choosing the seat with the best view of the stage, he sat down and waited. Not long after, an Orc waitress appeared wearing what the bar considered "dress code" for its female employees. That is, very little. Pulling out one of the other chairs, she sat herself down.

"Hello again, Rayford," she said. "Back for more fun, I see."

"Hi, Veldara," Rayford responded. Vel was an old friend to Rayford, and one that he'd counted on numerous times. Though she, like Rayford, was a Shaman, she had proven herself to be as tough as a warrior, yet as quick and sneaky as a Rogue. "What's goin on?"

"Oh, nothing. Just seeing what you were up to. Things have been quiet since you, Bog, and Teris broke up that bar fight 2 weeks ago."

"Heh. Look, I'll say it again. We didn't start it. We were just in the middle of it."

"Oh, I know. You never cause problems, right Ray?" She said with a glimmer of humor in her eye, as she brushed a lock of her dark hair out of her eyes. Most of it was kept back in a ponytail, save for a small bit that she let hang forward. "Well, keep an eye out. Rocky still hasn't forgiven you for ruining his date that night. He said that that shirt of his cost him a fortune, and that he'd take its cost out of that delicate hide of yours." As she said this, she traced a finger up Rayford's arm, up to his shoulder, where she rested her hand on his neck.

"Oh he did, did he? Well, I can guarantee that his shirt was nowhere near as expensive as my armor. When you see him, let him know that I'd take it out of _his_ hide, if there was enough hide to take it out of."

"Well, there was also the fact that you _stole_ his date."

"Oh yeah. Heh….That was fun. Man, that woman knew how to drink. You'd think a dwarf woman couldn't hold her alcohol well, because they're so small, right? Yeah, not so much."

Veldara laughed at this, partially because of how much she knew Rayford could drink.

"What happened?" She asked.

Rayford let loose a soft chuckle as he thought back. "Ah yes. I remember. I passed out. Bog didn't. She said in the beginning that whoever stayed conscious the longest was the one that she'd go home with."

"Ah," Vel said, chuckling for a second. "That explains why Bog wants to beat you senseless. So….onto business?" She asked, turning suddenly somber.

"Let's wait for the others. They should be arriving shortly," Rayford responded.

"In the meantime, you can bring me a Rocket Fuel. K, sweetie? And don't forget the lime." Rayford grinned as he saw Vel wince. She'd been working here as a sort of undercover operation, and he loved stopping in and pushing her around.

Veldara stood up with a slight sigh. "Yes sir, coming right up." Giving Rayford a slight glare, she turned away and stalked off. Rayford watched her go, watching the sway of her hips, when he heard the floor boards creak behind him. Before he could turn, he felt a hand wrap around his throat, and a knife tip bury itself into his back.

"Teris, is that you?" He asked, turning his head just a bit. "You seem to be getting rusty in your old age."

"You always were tough to sneak up on, Rayford," Teris said as she released her slight chokehold on Rayford. The Undead Rogue sheathed her dagger, and took up another seat, opposite of Rayford, so that she could watch the door. As with all Rogue's, she was incredibly wary of traps, seeking to spring them rather than having them sprung on her. Being Undead didn't help either, as she was often the subject severe hatred and malice, making her even more wary. As was Teris's custom, she was dressed in all black, with a scarf covering the lower half of her face. In truth, Rayford had never really seen Teris without her armor on. "How have you been, Ray? You've been gone a long time."

Rayford opened his mouth to answer, but just then he heard a crash from behind him, and he tensed as he turned, bracing himself for the inevitable sight of a chair flying across the room. Instead, he saw the barkeep pinned up against the bar by a huge black worg, with a bat floating just above it. The worg had its front paws on the barkeeps shoulders, and had him pushed up against the bar, while it's growling muzzle was mere inches from his face. Rayford was sure that the barkeep was counting the teeth that it had, as well as measuring the length of its canines.

"Devildawg! Heel!" Rayford called. The worg perked up its ears, and, falling to the ground, trotted over to Rayford and tackled _him_ beneath its enormous weight. Rayford laughed a bit, pushing the worg off. Looking up, he saw the familiar face of Bogarden, a childhood friend, offering him a hand. Rayford took it, and, standing up, looked around. His eyes locked with those of Ya'viri, or Viri, as she liked to be called. She was another old friend, and a former lover. Smiling, he embraced them both in a hug, and gestured for them to sit.

"Rayford, its good to see you, bro. What happened to you? Ya just sort of up and left." Bog asked of his friend. "You know we organized a search party, right? Searched from here to Burning Steppes, bro. You had us worried sick."

Ray felt pangs of guilt at having caused his friends such worry. "Yeah. That night we had that…uh….'drinking contest,' I sort of had a vision. I just needed time to sort it out was all."

"Oh? And what did ya see, Ray?" Viri asked. "Did ya see see a threat comin at Kalimdor? Cuz da Troll's be ready for battle!"

"Haha. Hardly, Viri. No, it was something just for me. Now that I've meditated on it, I'm ready to get back to having fun. And speaking of fun, here she comes now!" Rayford raised his voice as he said this last line, referring to the return of Vel. "Hey there, tall, green, and vicious. C'mere and give daddy some sugar."

Vel grinned as she strode over to Ray. Using one finger, she drew it along Ray's jaw line, digging her nail in and leaving an impressive scratch. Rayford glared at Veldara, who simply giggled and sat down in the final chair.

"So Ray, wat's dis bus'ness ya be callin us for?" Viri asked.

"Yeah, bro. You've got us kinda wondering what's up."

"Oh. Yeah. Its nothing. I just wanted to take you guys out for a night of drinking. I know that I scared you all pretty well, and I figure that a night of free ale would help ya forgive me. Plus, the only way I can get Viri into the sack is if she's too drunk to care," Rayford said as he grinned at Viri, who's only response was a glare, followed by a giggle.


	2. Chapter 2 The Rescue

Author's note: Hey guys. Chapter 2 here. I hope you enjoy it. I'm still kinda new at this stuff, so if I'm botching it, let me know. : p So yes. If there's anything that ya notice that I'm doing wrong/could do better, let me know. Constructive criticism is ok. Flame me, and I ignore you. ( : Again, I must repeat. World of Warcraft is copyright Blizzard Entertainment. This story is copywritten by me. All character names are fictional, and ones that I pick off the top of my head. Except for Rayford. He really is a Tauren Shaman. And he's mine. So there. : p

Several hours and 3 bar fights later, and the group was just about to walk out the door, when a series of sharp whistles broke through the air. Turning, Rayford couldn't help but stop. Somewhere, he was vaguely aware of Teris bumping into him, but he didn't care. Standing right in front of the table that they'd just vacated was a beautiful Night Elf woman, dressed in an intricately decorated leather breastplate, pants, and gloves. Judging from her physique, Rayford judged that she was a Druid, but he'd seldom ever seen a Druid, as they chose to remain in their home, at Moonglade.

Her long, rich purple hair hung loosely down to her butt, while her bangs outlined her face, making it appear much slimmer. He could also barely make out the thin, dark blue tattoos that ran parallel to her bangs and crossed over her eyes, looking like an identical set of scars. But instead of detracting from her beauty, they added to it, complementing the soft blue tone of her skin. She had long, dark eyelashes, which only drew more attention to her icy blue eyes, which, in the fading light, seemed to glow all the more. She was, he noted, very tall. Even for a Night Elf. He doubted she was as tall as him, though, but it was close. But then again, Rayford was also tall, even amongst Taurens. But, despite her height, she didn't seem stretched out like most tall Night Elves. He could see that, underneath her clothing, she had some well earned muscle. Rayford couldn't help but stare at those twinkling eyes of hers, though. They seemed to draw him in, and he couldn't help but stare at her. In fact, he was so captivated by her beauty that he wasn't even aware that his jaw was hanging open until Viri reached over and snapped it shut.

The Night Elf began to dance as somewhere, music began playing. It began slowly at first, but gradually picked up its beat, and each of her graceful movements seemed to dictate the flow and pace. It seemed as if the music penetrated to the very heart of everyone there, coming from everywhere, yet from nowhere as well. It wasn't until near the end that Rayford realized she'd been stripping off her clothing, slowly and deliberately. He looked around, and could see that every male there was fixated on the Druid's form. Even Viri, Teris, and Vel couldn't seem to look away.

Suddenly, from near the back of the bar, there was a loud crash, and several Night Elves, humans, and Dwarves burst through a door. Glancing around, they spotted the Druid, and charged after her. She let forth a scream, and then dove into the crowd. Her pursuers jumped in after her, knocking over tables and pushing people out of their way. It wasn't long until the havoc spread to the rest of the bar.

Glancing at his compatriots to signal them, Rayford dove into the crowd, intent on saving the Druid. Pushing his way when possible, but using his fists when necessary, Rayford worked his way through the crowd. It wasn't long before he found her in the grasp of one of her kidnappers. Letting forth a battle cry, Rayford lunged at the man, knocking him down, and freeing the Druid from his grasp. The human spun around and, producing a dagger, took a stab at Rayford. Ray drew his shield, and expertly deflected the blow, then slammed a gauntleted fist into the man's kidney, causing him fall unconscious.

He heard a scream from behind him, and spinning around, saw her pinned to a table by some overzealous and despicable looking humans, who were intent to take a closer "look" at her body. Grabbing the first ones hair, he slammed his head on the table, and then threw him backwards effortlessly. The second human didn't fair any better, and Rayford punched him hard right in the nose with a gauntleted fist. He heard the satisfying crunch of bone breaking, and knew that the man was down and out. Turning back towards the Druid, Rayford extended his hand towards her. She reached out cautiously at first, but then, glancing around her at the mayhem, made up her mind and grabbed his hand.

Rayford led her towards the exit, and together they burst out into the sunlight. As they exited, Rayford heard several snarls in a foreign language, and spun again. There he saw the majority of the attackers, as well as several patrons of the bar, all of their eyes, and weapons, focused on Rayford. Pushing the Druid behind him, Rayford drew his trusty axe and dagger. Then, closing his eyes for just a moment, he focused inwardly, channeling the spirit of fire into a magical totem. He whispered the words needed to call forth its power, and then let it fall. As it touched the ground, a mighty elemental sprung from it, imbued with the power of fire. The sight of such power caused them to stop for a moment, and glance at each other. Rayford knew that he'd have only seconds to capitalize on their reaction before they would regroup.

Unleashing his rage, and his lust for the blood of his foes, Rayford let out a mighty battle cry, and dove into the group of pursuers. Later, upon thinking back, all that he would be able to remember was his axe and dagger as a blur of motion, and his foes dropping one by one. But it seemed like no matter how many he cut down, there were always more to replace them. Finally, his rage ran out, and he could feel his muscles burn from the dozens of cuts and bruises that he'd suffered. He backed out of the crowd, and steeled himself. His fire elemental had long since died, but it had served its purpose as a decoy. That still left him against numerous attackers, against whom he had little chance of victory, and they knew it.

He turned his head slightly, and spoke to the Druid in his native tongue. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you," he whispered.

To his amazement, the Druid looked up at him and spoke back. "It is not your fault, kind Tauren. It is me that they're after. You can let me go, if it means your life." She spoke these words softly, knowing that if Rayford were to let her go, she'd most likely be going to her death.

Rayford blinked for a moment, unsure of what he'd just heard. Most Night Elves could not speak Taurahe, yet this one spoke it as fluently as any Tauren. Rayford boggled over this for a moment. Before he could find out who she was, and how she knew Taurahe, though, he would have to deal with her assailants. With renewed resolve, Rayford again braced himself against his assailants.

They began to spread out, encircling him. But they did it slowly, giving Rayford enough time to focus for a moment. Channeling his energy, his hands began to glow green as he felts his wounds heal. After that, he began analyzing his foes, looking for weak points.

_Screw it,_ Rayford thought to himself. Again he began channeling his energy. But this time, it was not to heal him. Instead, moments later, he cast a bolt of lightning at his nearest foe, which jumped from him to 2 more of his compatriots. Just as he'd expected, they charged prematurely, breaking the circle before the others were ready. Rayford met them head on, but just as their blades were about to clash, Rayford saw one's eye begin to go unfocused, and he began to shake his head, dazed and confused. Rayford's senses told him that Teris was nearby, and sure enough, another moment later, she appeared behind another foe, her daggers ripping into his back. Unsure of who to attack first, the man hesitated momentarily. But that moment was too long, and he soon fell to the planks, dead, with Rayford's dagger in his chest.

The death of their comrade spurred the rest of the group on, as together they let out a tremendous shout of rage. A shout which soon turned to one of horror, as another Fire Elemental charged them, while over its shoulder, arrow upon arrow was fired. Just beyond it, Rayford spied the forms of Bog, Viri, and Vel, the latter casting lightning bolt after lightning bolt at their foes.

When faced with 2 Shamans, 2 Hunters, and a Rogue, the attackers had 2 choices. Stay, fight, and die. Or flee, and live. Fortunately for them, they chose the latter option.

Several hours later, the group had made it to the border of Duskwood and Deadwind before stopping. They had chosen to depart as soon as they could, lest their attackers return with reinforcements. Riding together, Rayford had shielded the Druid as best he could, as seeing a Tauren and Night Elf together would be somewhat hard to explain. Fortunately, they encountered no travelers, so they made it with little trouble. Upon arriving at their destination, the group stopped for a moment to let their mounts catch their breath.

"Ok," Rayford began. "We've got to figure out what we're going to do. Those looked like pirates, so you know that there's more of them."

"I say dat we stay an' fight! We's much mo' powerful den day is!" Viri said, her bat, Muche, shrieking in agreement.

"Sstrength does not alwayss mean victory." Teris said, dragging her on her s' like all Undead do.

"I agree bro. I mean, sure, we'll be able to hold our own for a while. But eventually Viri and I will run out of arrows, and you and Vel will run out of mana. Our best bet is to get out of here for now."

"Ok. So, we get out of here. Where to? My family estate would be best. It's at the base of Thunder Bluff, which could work to our advantage. But it's a long ways from here."

"We could take da zep at Grom'Gol," Viri suggested.

"We could. But if these guys are smart, they'll have Grom'Gol watched, Viri," Rayford remarked. "No, the best, and really only bet, is to make for Undercity. Take the zep there to Orgrimmar. From Orgrimmar, it's only a day's ride to Thunder Bluff."

"Are you sssure you want to do that, Ray? The ride iss a long one, through much Alliance territory. It will take you sseveral dayss to get to the Undercity."

"I know, Teris. I know. But whoever this Elf is, I cannot simply leave her to be torn apart by whoever those were. And besides, this won't be half as tough as escorting that blasted robotic chicken back in Feralas. She and I will be fine. I'll meet you all at my estate in 4 days."

With those final words, the group broke up. Teris, Viri, and Vel took the southern road back towards Stranglethorn Vale, where Vel would head back to Booty Bay. Bog and Rayford headed north, towards the Burning Steppes. Bog had an errand there, and frankly, Rayford would like the company while he was traveling through the Steppes. The dragonkin there were remarkably dangerous, and attempting to pass through there alone while protecting the Night Elf would prove to be most difficult.


	3. Chapter 3 And Then There Were Two

Author's notes: Whoo! Another new chapter. Aren't you EXCITED. : p Like I said last time, I've actually gotten a few chapters written already, hence why they're so fast in coming. I hope to keep it updated as much and as quickly as possible. As usual, all criticism is welcome. So long as its good and constructive. Anything along the lines of "ROMG UR STORY IS THE SUXZ0RZ I HOPE U DIAF CUZ U R LAME AND SUX ROFLMAOOLOLOLWHOMPERCHOMPERROFLCOPTERS!!!!!1!one!" will be ignored. ( : Once again, I don't own World of Warcraft. I simply play it. WoW is owned by Blizzard Entertainment blah blah blah. Read on, and enjoy. ( :

* * *

The 3 rode in silence for many hours before Bog turned to Rayford and spoke. "Dude, why are we doing this? Risking our necks to save her butt and take her back to the Bluff? Nice a butt as it may be, she's really not our problem." 

Rayford took a deep breath for a moment, taking the time to reconnect with the earth, to confirm what he felt earlier. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, the Night Elf turned to Bog and responded. "I did not ask you to save me, though naturally I welcome it. And if you are willing to escort me to Thunder Bluff, then I am sure you will be compensated. For risking your butt to save my much nicer one."

The sudden response from the Night Elf was not what Bog had expected, and Rayford had to stifle a laugh at the sight of Bog's face.

"Er….I…uh…..Well, that's not to say….Um…." was all Bog could work out.

"Look, Bog, I'm risking my neck to save her because she speaks Taurahe. She's obviously spent a lot of time around Taurens. Now, what Night Elves do that? Cenarion Circle Druids, that's who. And you know what Thrall and Cairne said about the Circle. 'They should be helped whenever possible.' This is just me helping."

"Actually, I'm not a part of the Circle," the Druid said, looking away. "I'm a defector."

This time, it was Rayford who had a hard time speaking. He glanced at Bog, unsure of what he'd just heard.

"Are you telling me that you've forsaken the Alliance?" Rayford asked. "What Night Elf does that?"

"One who believes that the Alliance is misguided, and that if we are to find a new balance in the world, then we must work together to do so." The Druid spoke these words softly and quietly, as though just the thought of having turned her back on her race brought her great pain.

Rayford and Bog again looked at each other, unsure of what to say. That a Night Elf would turn forsake all that she had known was remarkable, and most definitely unheard of. Rayford stared at the back of the Night Elves head for a moment, considering what to say next.

"My lady, you'll have to forgive my comrade and I. We have not introduced ourselves. This is my friend, Bogarden Swifthoof the Survivor, the best Hunter I know. His pet worg is Devildawg. But don't worry. To friends, Devildawg is harmless. Though he may be fierce in combat, he is as gentle and loyal to friends as any animal can be. And I am Rayford. Rayford Elf…err…."

The Druid turned around at this, smiling slightly. "Rayford Elfer, hmm? Odd name," she said. "I am Illaria, Night Elf Druid. Now, Rayford Elfer, what is your _real_ last name?"

"Elfsbane," Rayford said, blushing slightly. "I am Rayford Elfsbane, at your service. And on the life of me, and my kodo, Fiercetusk, I swear we will get you to Thunder Bluff."

The next day, after Bog had completed his errand, he had flown from Burning Steppes to Undercity, where he would await the arrival of Rayford and Illaria. The more people that traveled through Alliance territory at once, the larger chance that they'd be spotted, and their trip put in jeopardy. Rayford had sent a letter with Bog, telling him to deliver it to its recipient as soon as possible. When asked what it said, Rayford only grinned at his friend, and backed away from the wyvern as it launched itself high into the air, bearing his friend and ally. Turning back towards his kodo and Illaria, he let out a soft sigh, for he knew what was ahead.

_I don't understand it,_ Illaria thought to herself. _He keeps risking his life for me, knowing that I'm not a member of the Circle. Why?_ She regarded her protector quietly as he turned back towards her. She'd seen many Tauren in her days, both at Moonglade, and in her days with the Cenarion Circle, and she'd been as tall as many of them. Yet he was taller than her. He had dark blue eyes, which seemed to always be looking around, searching and alert, but that also showed he had a quick wit, keen intelligence, and a good sense of humor. His dark brown hair was kept well groomed and out of his face. Every now and then, a stray strand would fall into his eyes, and he would bat it away quickly, as if irritated by its rogue attempt to distract him. Save for the one earring in his right ear, he had no other visible piercings, like the nose rings favored by so many of his brethren. He was tall, and well muscled from many days and nights spent exploring Azeroth. As she glanced at his right arm, she could see a long strip of his hair missing from his forearm. In its place there was a long scar, still pink and purple and fierce looking. Somehow, it seemed to suit him, and she had few doubts that he had many others like it.

He was tall and lean, with hard packed muscles. But seeing how much gear he carried with him, as well as his heavy mail armor, she wasn't really surprised. As he sat and rummaged through a bag, she could see that, besides his dagger and axe, which he kept at his sides at all times, he also had a large shield with a fierce looking spike protruding out of it, as well as a huge axe that she was sure even he would have to swing with both arms. He handed her some water and bread, indicating that she eat.

"We've got a long journey ahead of us. I can't have ya dying at Cairne's feet when I get you to him," he said, grinning just a bit. She smiled and thanked him for the food as she took it. Nimbly, he climbed back up on the kodo, and off they went.

"Ahh!" she shouted as they began moving, trying to balance herself on the giant kodo.

"Problem?" Rayford asked.

"This…This kodo. It isn't the smoothest ride, is it?" She responded as she looked up at him, wrinkling her nose slightly.

Rayford let out a laugh. "No, no they're not. But believe you me, in battle, there are few that I'd rather have by my side than my kodo. He's impaled warriors, paladins, and mages, all on that horn of his. He is a force to be reckoned with." Rayford said this proudly as he gently patted his mount.

"Oh, I know. But you should see our giant nightsabres," she responded, still bounding uncontrollably as they rode. He chuckled a bit as he placed one hand on her hip to help her balance.

"I've seen your cats in combat," he replied. Then, leaning a bit closer towards her, he showed her the scar on his arm. "This was from one of them nearly a year ago. Bloody thing charged at me. I threw my arm up to try and block it. I didn't count on it grabbing my arm in its mouth and dragging me along like a mere doll. Fortunately I managed to bury a dagger into its leg. That got it to let me go real fast."

Aerdrie gently touched the scar and examined it for a moment. Turning, she looked up and Rayford. "Didn't you have it healed, Rayford?" She asked.

"I thought about it, but decided not to. I let it heal on its own. But I couldn't use my arm for nearly a month." Rayford said as he laughed. "Besides, I think it looks sort of intimidating. Don't you think?"

She laughed as she shook her head. Then, adjusting so that she could get as comfortable as possible, she turned her attention back towards her food and water as she settled in for the long trip ahead.

It was a shame that she spilled more of the water on herself trying to drink it than she actually managed to get into her mouth.


	4. Chapter 4 The Trap

Author's notes: ROMG! Chapter 4 is up!! Whatever will we do?! Aside from read. Honestly, I don't have anything new to say. This is the last chapter that I had written ahead of time, so from here on out, chapters will be posted as they are written and proofread. I'll try to go as quickly as possible, but as the old saying goes, haste makes waste. So without further ado, read on…..

* * *

Two days later, in the Alterac Mountains, Rayford awoke early and chose to hunt something for breakfast. They'd had nothing but biscuits and water for 2 days, and his rations were starting to get low. Besides, having something warm and fresh sounded good. Silently getting up and donning his armor, he checked on Illaria, who had chosen to sleep near Fiercetusk. Rayford couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as he saw the small frame of the Night Elf silhouetted up against that of the huge kodo. Turning around, he could have sworn that he'd heard the snap of a twig. Raising his ears slightly to see if he could pick up any other sounds, he let his eyes unfocus as he looked around. Just as he reached the point where he'd heard the twig, he saw slight movement. It looked like somebody was crouching, trying to stay low and out of sight. _A Rogue. Great,_ Rayford thought to himself.

Not wanting to give anything away, he continued to survey the rest of his surroundings. Picking a direction at random, he began to walk off, leaving Illaria and Fiercetusk alone. Just as he was leaving the clearing, though, he dropped a totem. It was his Sentry Totem, and through its eyes, he would be able to see what was happening. After he'd gone a few dozen yards, he stopped and, looking around, shifted into the form of a Ghost Wolf. Dropping to all fours, he began to circle back behind his pursuer.

Through the eyes of the totem, he could see the Rogue step into the campsite and quietly sneak over to Illaria. Checking its surroundings first, it then began to search her. Illaria didn't have much. They didn't have time to go back for her belongings after their escape, so Rayford had given her a spare shirt and pants, as well as a cloak that he'd had lying around. They weren't much, but it was better than her riding naked. Not that he would have minded being able to examine her up close. But right now, his primary duty was to get her to the leader of the Taurens, Cairne Bloodhoof.

When Rayford and the rest had rescued her, all she'd had on were some gloves, a necklace, and a small crown. So whatever it was that the Rogue was looking for, it was going to be one of the 3, and Rayford was willing to bet it would be the necklace, since the gloves and crown were both fairly cheap, and had probably been bought from a vendor.

Sure enough, the Rogue found what it had been searching for, and, turning and standing, had in its hands the necklace. That's when he got a good look at the Rogue, and realized what he saw. It was a Night Elf. By nature, Night Elves didn't associate with pirates. That meant that, whatever they wanted with her, they were willing to pay to have it done. Rayford didn't have time to sort out what it all meant, though. Creeping back to the edge of the clearing, Rayford resumed his normal form. There was no doubt that the Rogue saw him, as Taurens are usually pretty hard to hide.

The sight of Rayford just appearing startled the Rogue, who took a moment to draw his weapons. Focusing, Rayford cast a blast of fire at the Rogue, and then drew his own weapons.

Illaria woke up just as the Rogue collapsed. She seemed to take the sight of a dead Night Elf easily, displaying no emotion besides confusion, which was written all over her face. Bending down, Rayford picked up her necklace, examined it for a moment. It was a smooth piece of obsidian cast in the shape of a tear. In the middle of it, it held some small red gem, in the shape of a crescent moon. He examined the gem for a moment before tossing the necklace to her. "That's gem is made of blood of the mountain, isn't it?" She studied her necklace for a moment before nodding. "Precious stuff, that. It'd be a shame if it were stolen," he said as he stood. "Get dressed. We're leaving. Now." He said, and moved off to breaking down their camp.

"What happened?" She asked, still confused.

"We've been followed. I'm sure that wherever this one came from," Rayford said, gesturing towards the dead Rogue, "that there are more. We don't have much time before they come looking for him, and I want us to get as much of a head start as possible. Here, while I'm packing up, check his pockets for anything valuable or that might give us a clue as to who he is. Grab his daggers, too. They may come in handy." Rayford spoke quickly, knowing that time was of the essence.

To her credit, Illaria reacted quickly, stripping off the Rogue's daggers and rummaging through his pockets and bags. At one point, Rayford thought he heard Illaria gasp, but when he looked over his shoulder, she was still hard at work.

Shortly after, they were on their way, heading north towards the Undercity. They'd ridden for several hours, and Rayford was just beginning to think that they were clear when an arrow went buzzing past his head. Startled, he glanced behind him. There he saw two Night Elf Hunters pursuing them, each with an arrow on the string of their bow.

The closest one, probably the leader, yelled something at Illaria in Darnassian, the language of the Night Elves. She shouted something back, and Rayford wished he knew what they were saying. The leader shouted one more time, then fired another arrow.

"Ya know, I'd really like to know why they're shooting at us," Rayford said. "Who are those guys?"

"They are Darnassian Royal Guards," Illaria said, not looking at Rayford. "Apparently they were sent to bring me back. Look, Rayford, they're both Hunters, and they're both behind us. You don't have a chance."

Rayford simply laughed at this. "Me? Not have a chance?" He let out another monstrous laugh. Then, leaning over to the side slightly, dropped one of his totems, this one embedded with the power of earth. Instantly, their attackers began to slow down, their mounts having trouble treading on the ground. "How's THAT for not having a chance?" Rayford chuckled again, and cast another look behind them. The Night Elves' nightsabres were now up to their knees, sinking in the ever softening earth.

Illaria looked at him incredulous, with her eyes wide. "What…What did you do?"

Rayford shrugged. "I'm a Shaman. A huge amount of our power comes from these totems, each of which is embedded with the spirit of an element. Earth, fire, wind and water. That totem there was an earth elemental totem. I call it the Earthbind Totem. It sends a magical pulse down into the ground beneath it, softening the ground and making it hard for enemies to chase after you. Those nightsabres of yours seemed to sink pretty fast, though. If you ever speak with Tyrande again, you might want to recommend that the new mount of Night Elves be a turtle." Rayford laughed heartily at his little joke, and then settled in to relax. He knew that his pursuers would have spend several hours getting their mounts unstuck, and Undercity was only an hour away, now. Once there, it was only a matter of waiting for the next zeppelin to arrive.

Readjusting himself, he let out a large yawn, and settled in for what remained of the trip.


	5. Chapter 5 An Attack

Author's note: Ok. Chapter 5. My longest one yet. I hope that, by the end of the story, I'm at about 7 or 8 pages per chapter, at least. This one was a lot of fun to write, and you'll see why later. I won't say much. Just my usual "World of Warcraft is owned by Blizzard, not by me" thang. I want to thank all of you that have left feedback on my story. I actually got a really funny one from Nirvanas, who asked: "why is it so hard to kill the pirates? (assuming Rayford is lvl 70 hence his totem at lvl 6..6?) so pirates near there are 40 ish so a 30 lvl diff? And why didn't he drop a fire nova totem to kill all of them at once :D (purely as a perspective as a shammy myself)." Answer: Heh, never really thought about it. I guess I was going more for a dramatic effect. I mean, its much cooler to have him have to fight to kill them all. : p Besides, if there's enough of them, 40's can kill a 70. Hope that sorta answers your question. ( :

Not long after, the pair arrived at Undercity. As they entered the courtyard, Rayford guided the kodo off to the side, where he dismounted.

"I'm going to get Bog, and then we'll be off. Stay here," he said.

"Ok. I'll just wait for you here. But will I be safe?" Illaria shouted after him.

"I was talking to Fiercetusk. But yeah, you stay there too. And don't worry. With the number of Horde around, you'll be fine. Just cover yourself up, and act like you fell asleep. Nobody will bother you that way." With that, he disappeared into the ancient castle.

Illaria looked around at her surroundings. She had heard about the kingdom of Lordaeron before the attack of the Scourge, and what the resulting war had done, as well as its transformation into the Undercity, home of the Forsaken. Secretly, she had imagined the skeletons and still rotting corpses of Lordaeron's defenders left out in the courtyard, there to rot for all time. Instead, what she saw was quite different. The grounds were quite well maintained, with flower beds lining both sides. What must have been the remnants of a statue was left in the middle of the courtyard, but even its destruction had been cleaned up. Ahead of her was a sort of moat, which was filled up with some sort of green fluid, a remnant of a war long past. She closed her eyes, listening. As she did so, she thought that she could hear the sounds of the fight that must have raged in this very courtyard as the defenders struggled to save as many of its people as possible. She reached down to the earth to see how bad the damage was, and was amazed at what she felt. Instead of the scar and pain that she had expected, she found that the land here was healthy. Save for the water, nothing had been affected. _Perhaps the Forsaken aren't as bad as we've been lead to believe,_ she thought to herself.

As she opened her eyes, she could see Rayford and Bog coming back, the two laughing loudly. As the pair came closer, she could hear a bit more of their conversation. Somehow, the fact that they were speaking of booze and women didn't really surprise her. _Men,_ she thought to herself. _Such idiots. Well, soon I'll be in Thunder Bluff. What will happen when they present me to Cairne? I hear that he has a history of being merciful. Maybe he'll believe me when I tell him of my defection, and not kill me outright._ Illaria was in a delicate situation. Never before had any member of the Alliance given up their roots and turned to the Horde. That a Night Elf had done so was mind boggling, and bound to be looked upon suspiciously. She wouldn't be surprised if she spent the last of her days captive as a sort of prisoner of war. But it didn't matter. What she had learned about the Alliance had shaken her right to the core and opened her eyes. She had turned her back on her friends, her family, her way of life. All for the hope of a new beginning.

"Illaria, you're looking more beautiful than when I saw ya last."

This snapped her out of her thoughts, and she focused on the speaker. She felt herself blush, and she him a smile as she looked away.

"Alright Bog. Come on dude. We're not done yet. We have to get goin, or else we'll miss the zep. And the sooner we get to Thunder Bluff, the happier I'll be." Rayford elbowed his friend as he spoke, nudging him along to his own mount. Turning his attention towards Illaria, he regarded her for a moment. "Ready to go, Ria?" He asked softly. His tone caused her to look at him again. His expression had changed. No longer were his eyes constantly looking for the trap that was sure to be sprung. Instead, they were focused intently on her, boring into hers. It was as if he knew what she was going through, and the sympathetic look on his face comforted her a bit.

"Yes, I am ready to go. Thank you," she responded. Nodding, he silently remounted his kodo, and they continued.

They hadn't gone far before they had reached the zeppelin tower. It was an old, decrepit, and looked somewhat scary. It leaned slightly to one side, and looked as if even the slightest breeze would knock it over. But Rayford and Bog walked in anyway, ignoring the status of the tower. Illaria shrugged, and walked in after them. The inside looked as bad as the outside, with a flight of stairs (that she thought might collapse at any moment) leading out to a set of spiral stairs that would lead one towards the top of the tower.

Rayford and Bog, with Illaria in tow, had just begun to climb the stairs when they heard a voice behind them. "Stop," it said in Common. The trio froze and turned around. There, standing at the entrance of the tower, stood a lone Night Elf. He was tall and well dressed in black leather boots that went up to his knees, dark blue pants, and a matching tunic. On the front of the tunic, Rayford could see the intricate design of the Darnassian Royal Guard. Strapped to the Elf's side was a sword, its hilt make of ivory inlaid with gold. Purely ornamental. Rayford moved to stand in front of Illaria and to shield her from anything that the Night Elf might do. As he did so, Bog moved to protect her back. The Night Elf laughed for a moment, a thick, evil sounding laugh, and as he did so, a dozen other Elves appeared at the entrance to the tower, each armed with a bow and an arrow already on the string. Rayford guessed that there were probably a few at the top of the stairs as well to prevent an escape.

The Night Elf, who had to be the leader, looked past Rayford at Illaria, who was peeking around the Tauren's wide form. "Traitor, I have been sent to stop you from what you plan to do. Come back to Darnassus with us, and I promise that my commander will do everything in his power to ensure that you are not executed. If you come to me right now, I promise not to kill your…traveling steaks."

Rayford felt his eyes narrow at the insult. Nobody called _him_ a steak and lived.

"I will give you until the count of ten, traitor, before my men and I have to take action. One…….Two….." As the Elf continued to count down, Rayford looked behind him, meet Bog's eyes. They both new that Illaria couldn't be turned back over to the Night Elves. They also knew that, if they were to walk out of this alive, that they'd have to strike first. Nodding to one another, Rayford again turned back towards the intruders. "…Seven…."

Rayford sprung.

But instead of springing towards any of the elves, he lunged towards one of the pillars by the left door that supported the building. A 400 pound Tauren wearing an extra 100 pounds of armor and equipment can do quite a bit of damage, and the support didn't stand a chance. When slammed with his enormous weight, the support snapped in half, causing debris to rain down upon the attackers. Rayford let his momentum carry him towards the nearest assailant. Using one of his totems, he smashed it over the man's head, then released it and let it fall to the ground. Almost immediately, he felt the air around him thin out, and provide less resistance to his movements. Behind him, he heard Bog charging up the stairs, and heard his friend grunt as he swung the huge 2 handed axe he carried with him. Rayford could, in his minds eye, see Bog turning and drawing his own bow, bringing it to bear on the remainder of the attackers.

Grabbing his dagger and axe, Rayford turned his attention to the next attacker. The poor elf never had a chance to draw his weapon, and before he could react, Rayford had already buried his dagger into the elf's chest. The next elf, though, didn't bother to turn towards Rayford. Instead, he drew the string of his bow back, and let fly the arrow towards his original target. Illaria.

Rayford jumped, hoping that he could block its path. Just before he hit the ground, he felt the arrow impact his shoulder, he grunted in pain, and he knew that it must have hit between pieces of his armor. Almost immediately he felt his arm go numb, and he knew that the arrow had been coated in poison. Out of the corner of his eye, Rayford saw the elf reach for another arrow, but before he could quite get it on the string, he spun around in a complete circle before collapsing, one of Bog's own arrows stuck in his neck.

Getting up, Rayford yanked the arrow from his shoulder and then charged the last two elves standing. The elf on the left didn't have a chance, as Bog fired three arrows, all three landing in his chest. The elf on the right loosed his arrow at Rayford, hoping to stop the Tauren. Dropping his axe, Rayford spun away from the arrow. Halfway through his spin, he reached out and _grabbed_ the arrow. As he completed his turn, he drove his new weapon into the elf's neck. The elf dropped to the floor and began to convulse as the poison from his own arrow began to circulate through his system.

Rayford looked around, searching for the leader. Looking out the door, he could see the elf on his mount, already 50 yards away, and retreating quickly. Rayford looked back over his shoulder at Bog, who was at the top of the steps, his bow drawn and his brow furrowed in concentration. As he watched, his friend's face broke out into a grin, and he let loose with his arrow. Rayford watched the arrow fly up, up, up, and then begin its descent. Now the elf was 80 yards away, and still the arrow continued to descend. Just when he thought that there was no way his friend's arrow would hit its mark, suddenly saw the elf lurch forward, then slide off his mount. Using a spell, Rayford enhanced his vision, and saw that Bog's arrow had landed square in the back of the elf's neck.

Turning back towards his friend, Rayford gave his friend a nod, and then checked to see if Illaria was ok. She was a bit dirty from all the debris, but appeared unharmed otherwise. Suddenly, spots began to dance in his vision, and Rayford shook his head attempting to clear them. He noticed how wobbly his legs felt, and he had to lay a hand on the wall to prevent himself from falling over. He looked down at his shoulder and noticed the blood still streaming from it. _Of course. The arrow,_ he thought to himself. _That's some strong poison…_

Suddenly, Rayford felt his legs give out from under him, and he collapsed to the ground. He shook his head again, but by this time, he could feel his head begin to swim. Placing one hand over the wound, he began to mutter ancient words, hoping to stop the poison's spread. Dimly, he was aware of Illaria and Bog rushing to him, but he didn't care. He had to concentrate. Pouring his entire effort into the spell, he began to move his hand around the wound, trying to clear up as much of the poison as possible.

Bog had seen his friend take the arrow. He'd even heard the grunt of pain, and knew that it meant the arrow had hit flesh. But he didn't think that its poison had been that potent. He, too, had taken a hit from an arrow directly in the chest, but his armor was different that Rayford's. His was made of black dragonscales, some of the most impenetrable material in all of Azeroth, and the arrow had bounced off harmlessly. As Rayford attempted to cleanse the poison from his system, he could feel the effort the Shaman was pouring into the spell, and knew that if he didn't succeed, his friend would die. Even if he did succeed in stopping the poison, the amount of mana he was pouring into the spell might drain him to the point where he would die anyway. He glanced at Illaria, who had knelt by Rayford, and could see the worried look written all over her face. As he watched, he could see her ice blue eyes fill up with tears. That she had caused this must have been tearing her apart. Bog looked back at his friend, and his eyes widened in shock. Rayford was concentrating so hard, pouring so much of his being in the spell that his eyes had gone bloodshot. As he watched, he could see a small trickle of blood begin to drip from Rayford's nose. But still the Shaman concentrated and continued to mutter the spell….

Illaria shook her head, trying to will away what she was seeing. She knew that, with her defection, her life might very well be forfeit. She had gone knowing that, if the Alliance didn't succeed in killing her, then an angry member of the Horde would try as revenge for some act of violence that had been visited upon them by a Night Elf or the Alliance. But Rayford had been an innocent, simply trying to do what was right. He had risked his life multiple times to save her, and now he might very well die for his efforts. She had seen the shooter narrow his eyes at her, his mouth begin to form a smile as she watched his fingers release the string. She remembered her body tensing, waiting for the strike of the arrow that would end her life. She remember the feeling of shock, awe, hope, and dread as in seemingly slow motion, Rayford had jumped in front of the arrow, potentially sacrificing his life for hers. She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision as she felt the tears stream down her face. She hadn't wanted to hurt anybody. She'd just wanted to live in peace in her new home. Now, because of her, an innocent man may die. _All because of me…_

Snapping his eyes to her, he placed both his hands on her shoulders.

"You're a Druid! _Help_ him," Bog pleaded.

But all she could do was numbly shake her head. A moment later, she looked up at him and responded. Her eyes were full of tears, many of which were about to join their brethren that had already run down her face. Her voice was strained with the fear and regret that she felt.

"I...I _can't._ My specialization is in the Feral techniques. I...Even if I wanted to. I couldn't. I don't even know if my abilities could help him _anyway!_ I just...Just wouldn't be able to!"

After several long, agonizing minutes, Rayford breathed a long, deep breath. He blinked once as if seeing his surroundings for the first time as he looked up into the worried eyes of his friends. Mustering all his strength, he smiled and nodded, letting them know that the crisis had passed, and that he was ok. He went to stand, but found that he was too weak. He felt Bog come over and help him up, while Illaria did the same to his other side. Together, the three climbed the steps to the zep.

On the zep, Rayford slept, and during his sleep, his vision came to him again.

Author's Note: Now ya kinda see why I liked writing it. I've always been a fan of the "the hero defeats foe/problem, but just barely" type of scenario. Besides, I kinda enjoyed Rayford getting hit with an arrow. : p Made it more tense. ( : Anyway, I wonder what this mysterious vision of Rayford's is…… O.o


	6. Chapter 6 Arrival

Alrighty. Chapter 6. Quite a bit longer than chapter 5, which is good. It took a bit longer to get it written and edited. Plus, the fact that I spent like a week reading the WoW general forums and voicing my discontent about patch 2.1 (grrr….) didn't do much for my productivity. : P So yes, I apologize to all. I'm working on chapter 7 at this very moment, and am pretty pleased with how its coming along. I'm not quite done, though, so don't expect it like tomorrow or anything. : P Okies. Usual disclaimer: I don't own World of Warcraft. I play it. This story is just a project for me, and one that I enjoy. Events in this story (and this chapter in particular) may/will not match up with Warcraft lore. Tough. Its my story, and I'll write it how I want to. So there. : P In regards to why I didn't have Illaria heal Rayford in the last chapter: do you know any Night Elves that can heal a Tauren? I thought about it having her help him cleanse it, but decided not to. I wanted it to be a bit more dramatic than that, though. Maybe if (when?) I do a rewrite, I'll put that in there. But for now, I like how it turned out.

* * *

"Will he be ok down there by himself?"

The question broke Bog out of his thoughts, and it took him a moment to realize what Illaria had said. He glanced over at her and gave her a reassuring smile. He could see that she was still filled with worry, and he could almost see more tears forming in her glowing eyes.

"Ray? Yeah, he'll be fine. Whatever that poison was, it was strong stuff. But Ray isn't the type to give up. Now that its out of his system, he just needs to rest. Cleansing it from his system took a lot out of him, and the more of his mana he recovers, the better off we'll all be."

"Do you think it would be ok if I went and sat by his bed?" She nearly whispered this, and Bog had to struggle to hear her.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. I'm sure he'd like to wake up and have a beautiful face such as yours be the first thing he sees," Bog said. With a shy smile, Illaria moved off towards the inside of the zep. Turning his gaze back to the horizon, Bog closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He could see that it in his friend's face that this was more than an escort quest. Bog could tell that Ray was beginning to really care for her. _Idiot,_ Bog thought to himself. _She'll most likely be executed. What are you thinking, bro?_

Meanwhile, back in Rayford's cabin, Illaria sat by his bed, and watched the Shaman sleep. If it weren't for his short, shallow breathing, she would have thought that the he had died. There was no sign of tension or pain. His face had relaxed considerably since they had gotten him aboard the zep. Even during the short climb up the stairs he had fallen asleep, making the job of carrying him much harder. Fortunately there had been nobody else waiting for the zep, and even when they had boarded, there had been nobody aboard. That made getting him into a cabin much easier, since they wouldn't have to worry about anybody discovering Illaria's identity. She had been surprised when Bog had lifted his friend up, and simply tossed him onto the bed. Even then, the Shaman had not stirred.

Getting up, she walked over to the Rayford's other side, so that she could examine his injured shoulder. They had bandaged it after getting him onto the bed, but it was still bleeding fairly heavily. After sifting through the contents of his backpack for a few minutes, she finally found the stash of bandages that Rayford kept in cases of emergencies. After removing the old one, she applied a short but potent healing spell to the wound. She then delicately re-wrapped it, making sure to not to make it too loose.

She was just getting up to read one of the books she'd found in his backpack when she heard the Shaman stir. She sat down again and waited to see if he would wake.

"Watcher….sun…protect…..mountain….hurt. Hurting mountain….must...help….watcher…of sun." With that he groaned, and resettled.

Illaria sat for a moment, unsure of what to do. On one hand, she knew that the he needed to rest, and that this could very well just be a bad dream. But on the other, he had just barely survived a poison that would have most definitely killed him. It was possible that this was some sort of side effect of it.

Shrugging, she decided that she would wake him, figuring that he could always get back to sleep if it proved to be nothing. She reached a hand out and gingerly rested it on his shoulder, and prepared to shake him until he awoke…..

Then Bog burst into the door.

"Wake up, lazy!" He cried. "We've just arrived! And man, is it a beautiful day out today!"

Rayford didn't wake like most people did. His eyes simply opened, and he was awake. Sitting up, he noted how tender his left shoulder was. He began to roll it experimentally and see how much motion he could get out of it when he noticed that there was a hand on his other shoulder. Tracing it to its owner, he saw that light blue face of Illaria. He could see the worry written on her face, but he didn't know what it was about. He remembered beginning to climb the stairs, and then passing out. Next thing he knew, he was here. _Where is here?_ He looked around. The cabin was small, barely accommodating the trio, with a rather uncomfortable bed in the middle. Distantly he could hear the hum of machinery. _Must be the zep,_ Rayford thought.

He went to stand, seeing if he could manage even that simple task yet. He felt a bit wobbly at first, but once he recovered his balance, he let out a mighty yawn and stretched.

"Ok then. Let's get outta here. I can't wait to get to TB," Ray said, to which Bog nodded eagerly. "Ria, you'll want to cover yourself up again, just in case."

The Night Elf nodded solemnly as she, too, stood up. Grabbing the cloak that Rayford had lent her, she wrapped it around herself tightly, and then pulled the hood over her head. Rayford hated seeing her like that. It was hiding beauty, and beauty was something that should be shown off, not hidden like some sort of secret.

* * *

The three soon emerged from the inside of the zep, and all stood in the sunlight, blinking for a moment. It was still early in Durotar, but despite that, the sun felt warm on their skin. Leading Illaria out of the tower, Ray and Bog called upon their mounts. Long ago, a powerful Mage had discovered a way to "call" and "dismiss" a mount. It involved a special type of magical stone, not unlike a hearth stone, that could be used to summon the mount to its caller, or dismiss it. When dismissed, the mount would go to a predetermined spot (usually a stable) where it would await the summons of its master. The skills necessary to summon a mount were minimal, and the technique was so widespread that few people these days didn't have a mount.

Smiling at Illaria, Ray reached a hand down towards her, beckoning her up. With a soft sigh, she accepted. He knew that she didn't much care for the kodo. _Probably too rough on that soft little behind of hers, _he thought to himself. At that thought, he couldn't help but smile as he thought back to first seeing her. He chuckled softly for a moment, which caused Illaria to turn around and look up at him.

"What's so funny?" She could tell he was thinking something. She might even know what that particular smile was. But for now, he could still pull the innocence card.

Arranging his face into one that he hoped resembled innocence, he looked at her and blinked before responding. "Hmm? Oh, its nothing. Let's get goin'," he responded. "Come on, Tusk. Lets go home. Hiyah!" He gave the kodo a slight kick in its side. With a snort, the kodo took off, obviously happy to be returning home.

On the way, Rayford and Bog spoke endlessly of old battles, old drinks, and old women. That was not to say that the women themselves were old. Simply that it had been a long time since the pair had laid eyes on the women in the tale. Illaria soon found a recurring theme in each of these stories. That each had started in a bar. And while true, there had been some that started in one bar or another, the majority of the stories began in the Booty Bar. There were tales of how the pair ventured into the Scarlet Monastery, or how they'd managed to fight off three Dwarf Hunter's, their pets, a Paladin, and two Rogue's, and then, using the money they had "borrowed," bought drinks for the entire bar, as well as some sort of drunken dare with somebody named "Malexana" that must have ended up quite hilariously, since the pair couldn't even finish the story, they were laughing so hard.

Illaria was deep in thought when she felt Rayford nudge her and then point off to the horizon. There, she could see several mountains that seemed to spring up from the ground.

"Behold, Thunder Bluff! Home of the Taurens," he said.

"It's beautiful," she responded absently. _Once there, I get to beg for my life._

Rayford and Bog both noticed the distracted tone that elf had replied with, and decided that they might as well stop for the day. Finding a small stream, the three dismounted as Bog went off to find something to eat, leaving Ray and Illaria behind to start a fire. Ray didn't argue. Having his friend hunt alone would be faster. Plus, somebody would have to stay behind and guard Illaria.

Ray fidgeted for a minute. He'd never been much good with small talk, always choosing to go right to the point. After fiddling with the flint and tinder for a minute, he shrugged, and instead chose to use magic to get the fire started. Satisfied at his work, Ray looked around and spotted the silhouette of the Night Elf sitting by the stream. Walking over, he sat down by her. It was a bit colder here by the stream, but Ray didn't mind. Mulgore was his home, and it felt good to be back. He glanced over at Illaria, or Ria as he'd come to affectionately call her. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts yet again.

"Say…uh…Ria. You ok there? You seem a bit preoccupied."

Even in the fading light, he could see that she hadn't even noticed him. She seemed to snap herself back to the moment, and looked at him as she smiled. He could feel himself melt just by looking at that smile. But one look at her eyes, and Ray could tell that something was wrong. Rather than the bright icy blue that they had seemed the first day or two after their meeting, they seemed a much duller color now.

"I am fine, Rayford. Thank you." She turned her gaze back towards the view of Thunder Bluff. He turned his view back to it as well. The sun was just beginning to set, and he could just see the last rays of sun shining over the mountain range in the background, which caused the remaining clouds to be splashed with tinges of red and pink. And outlined in the middle of it all was Thunder Bluff, with its four rises, three of which were visible. If he focused, he could almost see the bridges that connected them all together. The view, coupled with the trickling of the stream in the background made for a very relaxing and even romantic moment.

"It was our last stronghold, ya know." As he expected, Illaria looked at him, a quizzical look on her face. He nodded his head at Thunder Bluff. "The Bluff. It was our last stronghold against the centaur. If it weren't for Thrall and the Orcs, we Tauren might very well not be here today."

"What happened?" She asked, taking the bait.

"Well, many years ago, we Tauren used to be migratory. We had towns spread out from Thousand Needles to the Barrens to here. But one day, word reached us here that the centaur had staged an attack on one of our outposts in Needles. Thousand Needles, that is. Naturally Cairne sent a team to check. They were gone a month, and by the time they returned, half of our cities in the Barrens were wiped out. Cairne ordered that we take refuge up on the Bluff. It's only accessible from two sets of elevators, so once those were raised, nobody could reach us. We were in a standoff for about a month before it was decided that a messenger should be sent to Thrall, begging for his aid. The only problem was finding somebody to run the gauntlet. Everybody knew that it would likely be a suicide mission, but still, one brave man stepped forward. He succeeded, obviously, but he died anyway. Early on he had been hit with two arrows. One in his chest, here" Rayford pointed to a spot on the right side of his chest, opposite his heart, "and once in the leg. Both arrows were coated in poison. He managed to hold on long enough to get to Thrall and deliver the letter. Then he collapsed. The Orcs did all they could for him, but he died nonetheless. It is said that, with his last breath, he asked Thrall to come to our aid. To come to the aid of his son." Rayford took a deep breath after recounting the story. The last part hit particularly close to home, but he didn't want her to see how it rattled him.

Thankfully, she never got the chance, as Bog chose this moment to return, carrying a large cougar. After going through the trouble of skinning and cooking it, the three enjoyed a fresh, hot meal, with Rayford and Bog entertaining Illaria with tale upon tale of their exploits. After several hours, each decided to get some sleep, so that they could wake up early the next day and get to Thunder Bluff as soon as possible.

* * *

Rayford awoke several hours later drenched in sweat. He'd had his vision again, and this time he knew that whatever was coming would be coming soon. Since he'd first seen it nearly three weeks prior, it had come to him each night, sharper, clearer, more defined, and he knew that something would have to be done. Rayford had every intention of talking to Cairne after they'd delivered Ria to him, to see what he would say. It was said that Cairne was strong in the Shamanistic arts, and that his ability to decipher dreams and visions was unrivaled.

Sitting up, he shook his head. It was still a few hours until dawn, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. So instead he decided to go and sit by the stream and think. He got up, and gingerly crept to the edge of camp. Fortunately, the only one he woke up was Devildawg, who, upon recognizing who it was that had been moving around, let out a great yawn and went back to sleep.

After arriving at the stream, it took him a minute to find a suitable spot, but he finally managed to find one between a pair of bushes. Sitting, he stared at the full moon, and attempted to control his racing thoughts, when suddenly he heard a splash from just up the river. Tilting his head, he searched for the cause of the sound, but all he could find was the ripple of the water as it continued to flow. It was probably just a fish leaping at a bug, so he shrugged and went back to his thoughts. He hadn't been at it long when he heard another splash, this one closer. Again he turned to look, but couldn't find anything. Frowning, he had once again just turned his gaze back to the moon when he saw a form coming up from underwater right in front of him. Rather than react, however, Ray sat still, hoping that it would not see him. He tensed, preparing to strike should the need arise. But it never came, and instead he broke out into a wide grin when he realized what it was that he was seeing. There, not ten feet from him was Ria completely naked from at least the waist up. She waded around for a few minutes before stopping just a few feet down shore of him. There she stretched, lacing her fingers together and stretching her arms high above her head. He was pretty sure he even heard a bone pop. After a minute of this, she sank down to her shoulders and began to wash her long, soft hair. Glancing around, Ray decided to sneak a bit closer. After making sure that there was nothing around that would give him away, he shifted himself into his wolf form. He knew that, in this shape, his night vision would be better anyway. Plus, if she were to see him, she might mistake him for just another nightly creature prowling around.

Silently, he walked down to where she was still submerged and, after finding a spot that allowed him to watch her while keeping himself hidden, laid down. After a few minutes of washing what she could, she stood up, and then stretched backwards so that she could get the crown of her head. If Rayford could have smiled in his animal form, he would have. He was able to see just how honed her body was as she stretched it out to its limits. He ran his eyes from her smooth yet well muscled stomach up to her full breasts. He watched as they swayed gently from side to side as she ran her fingers through her hair, washing it as best she could. After a minute of this she stood and began massaging one shoulder. From there, she again sank down almost to her neck and tilted her face towards the moon, opening her eyes slightly so as to gaze at it. Ray gasped slightly. At this angle, with the moonlight glinting off of the water on her face, her hair slick and pushed back with her blue eyes opened just a bit so as to let out their glow, she looked absolutely gorgeous, and he had to fight the impulse to shift out of his lupine form and approach her. But not only did he know that she would not take kindly to his watching of her, he also had the feeling that she was caught up in a form of meditation, and that interrupting it would be both foolish and rude. In the meantime, though, he could sit, wait, and enjoy the sight.

Unfortunately, it didn't last too much longer. After just a few minutes, she stood up and yawned. Stretching one last time, she turned to head back upstream. Slowly, she began to wade her way up, and, further up, he could see her begin to walk onto shore. Rayford assumed that she'd be heading to get her clothes and dress. For a minute, he contemplated stealing her clothes and watching her sneak around naked, but he quickly abandoned the thought. With a sigh, he cast one last longing look at her before moving back towards the camp.

He'd just laid down and closed his eyes when he heard Illaria re-enter the campsite. Rolling over, he opened his eyes just a bit to make sure that it was her. After being sure that she was safe, he again closed his eyes, this time in an attempt to sleep. As he felt himself drift off, he had a feeling that he would have good dreams. Very good dreams indeed.

* * *

Illaria woke up several hours later to a bright morning, and a worg licking her face. Despite the animal's intimidating looks, she liked Devildawg, and she could tell that he definitely liked her. It was like Rayford had said earlier, that the animal really was a good friend to those it trusted. Yawning, she pushed the worg's face away and sat up, stretching. The bath that she'd had last night had refreshed her, and had given her time to herself. During that time she'd meditated, reconnecting with not only nature, but the Mother Moon herself. She'd spent too much time in the sun as of late, and she could feel herself growing weaker. Hopefully, if she lived through her encounter with Cairne, she'd get to spend more time awake during the night. As a Night Elf, she had a particular affinity for nocturnal activities. All this running around in the daylight didn't suit her and she could feel herself growing weaker the more time she spent during daylight hours. It felt sometimes as if she were imagining some things. Like the way that Rayford kept looking at her. She shook her head at the thought. He was a Tauren. She a Night Elf. Furthermore, she was a traitor, and one that would likely be going to her death very soon. There was no way he could be attracted to her.

Again she shook her head. Standing, she looked around their campsite. Their campfire had long since died, leaving just a few smoking embers. Behind her was Fiercetusk, the noble kodo no doubt protecting her from any danger that might come from behind. To her left, on the other side of the fire lay Rayford, the Tauren snoring slightly. She giggled a bit at this. She'd never thought that Tauren snored, but there, not ten feet from her lay her proof. Giving him one last fond look, she looked over to where Bogarden had slept. But the Tauren was not where he had laid when last she saw him.

"Mornin' sunshine," came a voice from behind her. Spinning around, she relaxed as she recognized the smiling face of Bogarden coming around Fiercetusk, several pouches of water in his hands. "Sleep well?" He asked.

Letting out a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding, she nodded. His disappearance, coupled with his coming up from behind had startled her, but she was determined not to show it. Even when she arrived at Thunder Bluff, she knew that she would not be safe. If she was granted asylum, she had the feeling that she would, eventually, fall victim to either an assassination or some sort of hate crime.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. As for me, I slept like a newborn calf." Here, Bogarden stretched and yawned, but quickly cut both short when he almost dropped several of the water pouches. She couldn't help herself from chuckling as he tried to keep them from falling, only partially succeeding. He glared at her for a moment before breaking out into a wide grin. Balancing the rest of the water as best he could, he handed several to her, a glint of humor in his eyes. "Want to help me wake Ray up?"

She smiled back in expectation. "Of course. What is it that we are going to do?"

"Excellent," he said, his grin widening. "Here's what we're gonna do. I spent all morning filling these up. We're gonna unscrew all the caps, then toss them at him. If we're lucky, they'll break when they hit him. If we're not, then he still gets wet, since they'll be open."

She nodded her head, then followed Bog's lead in unscrewing her water pouches. Together, the pair slowly began to sneak up to Rayford, who was still snoring innocently. But as they approached him, she suddenly felt the earth beneath her feet give way, and she cried out as she rapidly sank into it up to her knees. She turned to look at Bogarden, but he was in the same predicament that she was. That was when a shadow crossed in front of her, blocking out the sun. Squinting, she looked up at the figure, then felt her eyes open in shock.

Standing over her was Rayford, wearing a huge, face splitting grin. Slowly he looked from her to Bogarden, and then back to her. Tossing his head back, he let out a loud, uncontrollable laugh at their predicament. Only after a minute of laughing at them did he take a deep breath and attempt to control himself.

"You guys thought you had me, didn't ya?" He asked, grinning as he reached out an arm to Illaria. "C'mon. Admit it. You weren't expecting me to get ya." Reluctantly she took the arm, fighting the urge to pull him down into his trap. After pulling her out, Rayford extended his arm to Bogarden, who simply glared at his friend. Rejecting the arm, he tried to struggle out of himself, and Illaria couldn't help but keep herself from laughing at his feeble attempts. Sighing, Bogarden extended his arm towards Rayford.

"Ya know, I really hate you, bro. That wasn't nice, ya know that?" The Hunter glared daggers at Rayford, while the latter continued to grin.

"Ya-huh. And you trying to get me soaked as an early morning present was completely kosher, right?" Bogarden sniffed indignantly. "Aww. Come on, man. It was comedy. You should've seen the look on you and Ria's faces. You guys had no idea what was goin' on. Tell ya what, I won't tell anybody that I counter-pranked ya. How's that sound?" Bogarden sighed, then shook his head. Grinning, Rayford slapped him on the back, then turned towards Illaria. "What about you, kiddo? You forgive me?"

_Kiddo?_ She thought to herself. _Why, I'm older than he is!_ She shrugged. "I suppose that if I must, then I must. But bear in mind, oh great guardian steak, that one day I shall have my revenge." Just as she expected, calling him a steak got an immediate reaction. The pair of Taurens looked at each other, eyes wide. Looking back at her, Rayford extended one hand towards Bogarden, who immediately placed one of the water pouches in his hand. Slowly, Rayford stalked towards Illaria, who began to have an inkling of what Rayford's plan was. She backed up slowly, trying to keep her distance from the ever approaching Tauren.

Unfortunately, she didn't get very far, as she suddenly bumped into something large and hard. Turning her head, she saw that it was Bogarden's kodo, who was still sleeping contentedly. She looked back at Rayford, knowing that she had little chance of escape. As he reached her, he extended his free hand. Wrapping her up in it, he lifted her up and balanced her on his upper arm. She squirmed as much as she could, giggling. But it was no use. The Tauren was much larger and stronger than her. Once he had her firmly in his grasp, he broke into a wide grin, and proceeded to pour out the contents of the water pouch onto her. Suddenly, she felt something get placed into her hand and, glancing at it, smiled a smile of her own. Swinging as hard as she could, she smashed the water pouch on the back of Rayford's head, spilling its contents all over him, and forcing him to loosen his grip enough to drop her unceremoniously to the ground as Rayford turned to tackle his friend.

* * *

An hour later, the trio arrived at Thunder Bluff, still wet from their morning activity. Rayford had approached one of Cairne's guards, and explained things as best he could, hoping that their tale would encourage them to grant him an audience with the leader of the Taurens. Bogarden stood by Illaria, the latter shifting her from foot to foot nervously, while trying to keep herself wrapped up in the cloak as best as she could. Bog had no idea how they'd explain everything to Cairne once they managed to meet with him. While it was true that he was always one to listen to reason and offer kindness whenever possible, the fact of the matter was that Illaria was a Night Elf. A member of the Alliance. And, cease fire or not, an enemy of the Horde.

Bog had very little doubt that Cairne would seek the counsel of Warchief Thrall, leader of the Horde, and that whatever Thrall commanded would be done. It was only natural. Thrall lead the Horde, and the Taurens were indebted to Thrall. Bog hated being in debt to people, but when it came to Thrall, he didn't mind as much. After all, he had led the Orcs to the rescue of the Taurens, saving them from extinction.

Looking at Illaria, or Ria, as Ray had come to call her, he felt his heart sink. He had a pretty good idea of what Thrall would command. She would be taken to Orgrimmar, where she would be kept under heavy guard, never having any real freedom until the day she died. He hated to admit it, but it was the only real option.

He was interrupted from his musing by a pair of young calves who had been running around playing. Spotting Illaria, they had assumed that she was probably some Troll, and had run up to her, begging them to show her one of the many tricks that Trolls were known for. They'd stopped short for a moment when they'd realized that she was, in fact, no Troll. There they stood, eyes wide, mouths open, staring openly at a creature that they couldn't identify. Frowning, Bog shooed them away, hoping that they'd delay telling anybody until after their audience with Cairne.

Luck wasn't with him. Less than a minute later, the children returned, this time surrounded by a large group of children, all of them chattering loudly and, understandably, quite excitedly. Sighing, Bog moved to stand in front of Illaria and play sentinel, but was stopped short when the Night Elf reached out and touched his arm. She turned to look at him and shook her head. Then she knelt to the level of the children who had by now converged upon her. Each and every one of them had begun to take guesses as to what she was, and he could hear her laughing with them at every creative yet wrong answer. Finally one of the children yelled out, as loud as he could, the correct answer.

"I know what she is! She's a NIGHT ELF!"

_Crap. Crap crap crap_, Bog thought. Just as he expected, this sudden declaration had a very noticeable effect on the adults in the immediate area, many of them moving in to "save" the children from the Night Elf that had dared to come to Thunder Bluff. He also noticed the guards nearby grip their weapons just a little bit tighter, tensing themselves in case they needed to spring into action.

Illaria stood and pulled back the cowl of her hood, silently confirming what the onlookers had all feared. Bog drew his axe and stood in front of her, silently surveying the crowd and daring any of them to assault her. At his side, he heard Devildawg growling lowly, the hair on his back standing up, also daring anyone to make a move.

One minute passed. Then another. And then another. The crowd had grown steadily during that time, and now at least two dozen stood before Bog. Soon, he knew, someone would try to play the hero, and that's when the violence would begin. As the crowd had grown, so too had the whisperings amongst those in it. Now he could hear more than just murmurs. Now he could hear bits and pieces of words, and what he heard didn't make him happy.

_Come on, Ray. Hurry your slow ass up. _Steadily the crowd grew, as did their sounds of discontent. It wasn't long until they were jostling each other, moving forward as one large mass. The closer they got, the louder DD growled, and the more nervous Bog grew.

Slowly, the crowd crept closer, the foremost member's just entering striking range of Bog's massive two handed axe. But still they crept on. It wasn't long until he could have swung and decapitated a handful of Taurens. But he didn't want that. Soon, they were pressing up against him, trying to push him out of the way. Using the handle of his axe, he pushed back, struggling to keep them away from Illaria. At his side, he could hear DD growling, barking, and even, when it was deemed necessary, taking a bite at some. Soon, though, they would overrun him, and he'd have no choice but to start swinging.

"STOP!"

The sudden declaration forced everyone to halt what they were doing and turn towards the origin of the command. There stood Cairne Bloodhoof, leader of the Taurens. He swept his gaze over the crowd, and as he did, it began to disperse, everyone going back to the task that they'd be working at before they had realized who and what Illaria was.

As the last of the crowd was leaving, Cairne beckoned Illaria and Bog to his hut. Inside they saw Ray, and Bog nodded silently to his friend, who had worry written all over his face. Silently Cairne swept one hand towards the carpeted floor. "Sit," he said, his deep booming voice leaving no room for argument. Without a word, Bog and Illaria sat beside Rayford while Cairne took a seat on a chair opposite them. It was a few silent, awkward moments before anybody spoke. During this time, Bog had the feeling that Cairne was scrutinizing Illaria, trying to get a feel for her.

He heard her swallow, then take a deep breath and open her mouth. "I am-"

"You are Illaria, Night Elf Druid. I am Cairne Bloodhoof, leader of the Taurens. And I have seen you in my visions."


	7. Chapter 7 A Revelation

Phew. Ok. Here's chapter 7. Sorry for the wait, guys. Had oh so much going on. Work picked up pretty dramatically, and we moved our entire office down a floor. And then there was my very vocal objection to patch 2.1. If ya read the WoW general forums, you might've seen me posting in a few threads objecting to some of the nerfs that came at Shammies. Since then, I've respecced poor Rayford to Resto. Sobs Oh well. Got a Warrior and a Hunter comin up anyway, so we'll see how those go. Heh. Those are my excuses for the delay. : P Sorry about all that, guys. I'll try to be a bit better about posting on a quasi-regular basis. Guess that last chapter just kinda drained me of my creative juices. For anyone that thought the last chapter had a bit of a shocker, wait till ya see the end of this one. I think its a bit better. What do you think? Just wanna let you guys know that I've got chapter 8 under way, and I'll work on it as the schedule permits. Please, as you read this chapter, bear 3 things in mind. 1) This chapter didn't go through my little review process (see: having wife read it). 2) This entire story is a work in progress. It is by NO MEANS a completed work. I know that there's a lot to improve upon, and please, if you think that there's something I could do to make the story (or shoot, my writing in general) better, don't hesitate to review it and let me know. I like hearing feedback from others, especially if its something that I can use to improve my story. 3) I don't own World of Warcraft. To a certain degree, it owns me. I simply play and enjoy the game (not ALL of it, mind you. But a great deal of it).

* * *

This sudden admission caught Illaria off guard, and few several seconds she just sat there, mouth still open, trying to form the words she had planned to speak, but unable to. She could feel her face growing a darker shade of blue as she blushed. _Speak, you fool. Say something!_ Snapping herself out of her stupor, she again opened her mouth to speak, but Cairne was no longer facing her. Instead, he had turned his attention to Rayford, and was studying him with the same intent gaze that he had focused on her just moments ago. 

"You have been having visions too, have you not, Rayford?" Cairne's voice was deep and commanding. And while it was one that you couldn't help but obey, it was clear that he also spoke from great wisdom. He had deep, clear green eyes outlined by black fur, streaked with gray. From his head protruded 2 long and dangerous looking horns, which were much longer than those belonging to either Rayford or Bogarden. Illaria decided that their horns must be some indication of age, in which case Cairne was considerably older than her two rescuers. Despite his age, though, he was obviously still quite fit, and there was no doubt in her mind that if he wanted to, he could pick her up and crush her with just one arm. Behind his chair, leaning up against the wall sat what looked like a huge tree branch, except that it had had some kind of hand grip whittled into the middle of it so that it could be wielded as a weapon. The sheer number of cuts and scratches on it spoke of its use in many battles.

To her left, she heard Rayford let out a soft sigh. Then, glancing at Illaria, he nodded. "Yes, Cairne. I have had a strange vision as of late. I've tried to decipher what they mean, but I can't seem to figure it out. I have a feeling that it is an issue of great importance, though."

Cairne nodded solemnly for a moment before standing up. "Bogarden, I thank you for aiding Rayford and Illaria in their quest. But if you will excuse us, I must speak privately with them. Here," he said, reaching under his chair for a small pouch, "is a reward for you and your hard work. Go to the inn and get yourself some ale." Cairne tossed the pouch to Bogarden as the Tauren stood, who caught it easily. Bogarden nodded at Cairne, then turned back to Rayford. "I'll see ya at your place, bro." With one final nod at Cairne, Bogarden left, leaving her alone with the two Taurens.

"Follow me," Cairne said. Without waiting, he turned around towards another door that Illaria had missed, and immediately walked through it. Rayford and Illaria stood and glanced at each other. Shrugging, Rayford lead the way into the new room, and Illaria followed shortly behind.

Bog breathed deeply as he walked across the green plains of Mulgore. He enjoyed the smell of his home this time of year. Beside him, Devildawg padded happily along. Bog smiled at his pet. The worg had been through much in the service of its master, and out of all the animals that Bog had tamed, Devildawg remained his favorite.

He had originally found the worg as a pup, left stranded and badly injured. Apparently something had thought Devildawg would make a good meal. Devildawg had disagreed. It had taken several weeks and many nights spent awake to nurse the animal back to full health. But the day it was able to walk, it had never left his side. Bog fondly laid a hand on his pets head and scratched it softly behind the ear. In response, Devildawg looked at its owner, its jaw hanging open slightly, tongue hanging out of one side of its mouth, and tail wagging goofily. He laughed softly at his pet, and knelt to give it a good scratching. But the second he'd gotten down to one knee, the worg immediately tried to pounce him and lick his face. Laughing more, he succeeded in fending off the worg, but just barely. After finally getting the worg to sit and stay for a minute, he reached into one of his pouches. The one that held the worg's treats. Devildawg's eyes lit up when he saw what Bog was going for, and it immediately began wagging its tail furiously in expectation. Bog laughed again as Devildawg proceeded to devour the treat.

Suddenly Bog's senses told him he was being watched, and he spun around to see if he could spot who was watching him. But all he could see behind him was a small forest. Standing, he reached into another of his pouches and drew out a flare, which he lit and tossed into the trees. He'd hoped that he'd be able to flush whoever was watching him out into the open, so that he could figure out what to do, but it looked as though it was just his imagination. He was just turning around when his senses screamed at him to get out of the way. Diving, he tucked himself into a roll, drawing both his bow and his axe as he came out. He surveyed his surroundings a second time, but again couldn't find the source of the attacks. Sheathing his axe yet again, he instead drew an arrow, and placed it on the notch of his bow, ready to fire at a moments notice. Beside him, Devildawg growled, it, too, trying to find their assailant. "Easy, DD. Easy," Bog said to his pet. Suddenly he heard it. The _thwip _of an arrow being released. Raising his bow, he let fired his own arrow in the direction that he'd heard the sound. His had been fired in a straight line, and so hit its mark first. Distantly he heard the _thunk!_ as it hit….something. It wasn't a tree, nor was it his target. But he couldn't worry about that now. Looking up, he saw the arrow that his attacker had fired beginning to descend at him. Gauging its arch and speed, he took two steps back while placing another arrow on his string, and watched as it struck the ground at his feet. That was when he noticed the pattern that was etched into the arrow.

Sighing, both in frustration as well as relief, he called out. "Damnit Viri, if you ever fire at me again, I'm going to personally kill and skin that bat of yours!" He heard a Troll giggle in the distance, as Viri stepped out from several trees and approach him. Once she got into range, he reached out and smacked her in the back of the head with one gauntleted hand. "What were ya thinking, huh? Come on, kiddo. Ya scared the crap out of me. I thought I was really under attack!"

"Aww, come on, Bog sweety. Ya knew we just be playin wit ya. You know dat if we wanted ta hurt ya dat we coulda." Viri wore a huge smug grin, knowing that she'd indeed scared Bog pretty well. Normally it was hard to get the drop on the Tauren Hunter. It was often said that he was one of the Horde's best Hunters.

The apology didn't do anything to stem Bog's anger, though, and it was only after a minute of his ranting that he stopped and turned to face Viri. "Wait, what do you mean 'we?'" It was only then that he noticed the third member of the little party.

"Yeah, hi Bog," Teris said. "Mind taking your arrow out of my ssstomach now, please?"

Some time later, the three were all at Rayford's estate, seated around a table catching up. Bog had told them about their assault at the zeppelin tower, and Ray's near death experience, as well as the meeting that Ray and Illaria were having with Cairne at this very moment.

"He's getting that look in his eyes. You know. 'The look,'" Bog finished with.

"Which look dat be, mon?" A foreign, male voice asked from behind Bog, who visibly jumped for the second time that day.

"Damnit! Who else is gonna sneak up on me today?!" He demanded. Then turning, he grabbed at the Troll Rogue behind him, who easily avoided him. "Sukar, I swear, if you EVER do that again, I'll have your hide!"

Sukar laughed his deep Troll laugh. "Yeah right mon! Like ya could catch me! Ah hahaha—OUCH!" His laughter died suddenly as another Troll hand reached out and smacked the back of his head. "Whacha do dat fo'?" He demanded of his mate, Al'lara.

"Fer bein a jerk. Dats what fo'! Lemme 'pologize fo' me stupid mate, Bog. I tried ta stop him, but ya know how quick he can be, mon." Sukar harrumphed at this, upset that she'd ruined his fun by apologizing, but didn't make any other comment.

"It ain't a big deal, Lara," Bog responded, bowing his head slightly. He had always liked the two Trolls. Though they did have a tendency for sneaking off and engaging in activities that activities that were better left unspoken, more often than not to satisfy their Troll…."hunger."

Lara and Sukar were both average height for Trolls, though Sukar stood an inch or two higher than his mate. While Sukar was a Rogue, Lara was a Mage, and the two were always getting into squabbles as to which form was better. Sukar had sky blue skin, which didn't match his green eyes at all. His hair was a deep purple, though, and as usual, it was long, and hung well past his pointed ears. Fortunately, he'd managed to collect some of it into a ponytail. Lara had soft green skin, with her bright orange hair pulled into two ponytails, each draped over a separate shoulder. Her eyes, though, were the most striking part of her. One was a bright red, while the other was an icy blue. Never before had Bog seen eyes like hers, and she usually attracted a few stares from passersby whenever she entered a town.

Behind them stood the rest of the party. Each brought something special to the mix, and each had been requested by Ray in his letter. After departing the Burning Steppes on his wyvern, Bog had of course read the letter that his friend had given to him. Behind Sukar and Lara stood Alyndia and Xandir, both Blood Elves. Aly was a student in the arts of the Warlock, her brunette hair cut short, only shoulder length, and drawn back a bit to show off her tan skin and emerald green eyes. Xandir studied the Light, and dedicated himself to Paladinism. He had long, brown hair which he drew back into a ponytail, that being his only real defining feature.

Behind them, but still towering over the two Blood Elves, stood Selia Lighthoof. She, too, was a Tauren. But she was not just any Tauren. She was also a Druid. Ray had hoped that perhaps she could help Illaria with familiarizing herself with Mulgore, and getting the Taurens to accept Illaria into their society.

"Bogarden, it is good to see you again. How are you?" Selia asked in her light, slightly airy voice. She had always been slow to speak, and very seldom did she take action without thinking through all of the possible consequences. And as with every Druid, she had always shown caring and consideration for every living animal, seeking balance and peace when possible. But that did not stop her from showing her fighting side when the situation called for it.

"Not too bad, Selia. How's about yourself?" He responded.

"I am well, thank you," she responded as she moved further into the room, sitting in one of the many chairs spaced throughout it.

It was one of only 4 rooms in the first floor of Rayford's home, and was immediately adjacent to the entrance. While it had once had several windows to let in light, the glass had long since been removed. Not by thieves, however. Rayford's grandparents had removed them, as a sign of welcoming nature into the home. Fortunately, the surrounding trees provided more than enough shelter from the elements, so the windows weren't really necessary. It was an ancient 3 story stone house, and Ray's family had lived in it for generations. Every member of Rayford's family, save for one, was buried somewhere on the grounds. But not even Bog knew where this graveyard was, though he suspected that it was protected by a magical enchant of some sort to keep grave robbers, or little kids, from discovering it.

"So Bog, wat be dis bis'ness dat we be called fer?" Lara asked, breaking Bog out of his musings.

"Yes, Bog, I feel that an explanation is in order," a deep yet slow voice said from behind Bog. Turning his head, Bog spied the large figure currently occupying the doorway. The Tauren standing there was covered from head to toe in thick plate armor, though one would never know it, as he moved as silently as a Rogue. At his hip he had his trusty sword, while a large, battered shield hung from his back. The figure reached up, unbuckling his helmet, removed it, revealing a brown face with short, yet quite sharp horns. A scar ran from under the hair covering his forehead, over his left, and down to his cheek bone. Yet his two piercing, deep green eyes showed a quick wit and sharp intellect.

"Taur, you're late," Bog replied. Taurgard, or Taur, as he had his friends and allies call him, simply smiled as he, too, moved into the room. "And if you simply can't wait, then...Tough. This is Ray's story to tell." Bog tilted his head a bit, listening. "Fortunately you won't have to wait long. I hear him coming now."

"Jah, and one more wit 'im," Viri chimed in.

Sure enough, only a minute later Ray walked into the room, with the tall, slim figure of Illaria trailing behind him, wrapped up in her cloak. But it was obvious that the pair had not seen the rather large gathering in next room, as they walked past the sitting room and into the kitchen. Everyone there exchanged puzzled glances, each of which ended up on Bog. Sighing, the Hunter stood and walked into the kitchen where he found his friend lighting a fire. Bog glanced around and spied Illaria at the opposite end of the room, leaning on a counter and staring out the window.

"Everyone is here, bro," Bog said, trying to get Ray's attention, but to no avail. The Shaman continued to fiddle with the stove, trying to light the fire. Bog knew that Ray was prone to having visions at times, and when he did, Bog was left with two options. Leave him to his thoughts, or shake him out of them. Normally he'd just leave his friend to his thoughts. But today he had companions. Friends and allies that he'd specifically requested. "Ray," he began, reaching a hand out towards his friend. He didn't get very far, as Ray spun around quickly, eyes narrowed, and a painful look in his eyes.

"Bog, I'm going to die, man."

Bog just dropped his arm back down to his side, as somewhere he heard Illaria crying softly in the background.


	8. Chapter 8 The Vision

Whoo! I return! And with Warcrafty goodness! Sorry for the huge delay. This chapter was a bear to write, and in my opinion, its not even all that good. Just a lot of plot development. Some more of this will tie into the story later on. Here you finally see a bit of Rayford's vision. I tried to write this chapter with a bit of a darker overtone. Let me know how I did. I may end up going back and rewriting it. And by may, I mean there's like a 90 percent chance I will. : P Anyway, many many apologies for the delay here. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. I'll also post a Prologue in the near future, as well as a Dramatis Personae around the same time, so that you guys can sorta "see" the characters that I'm trying to describe. Warning, shameless plugging ahead! For those of you that frequent wowhead they've got an IRC channel. I'm usually on there, so if you have IRC, come join us. If you want the info, you can go to the wowhead site. Under the more section, there's IRC. The info is there. : P Also, shortly after I posted the last chapter, somebody by the name of Baluf(sp?) created a toon on my server and sent me a mail complimenting me on my writing. To Baluf: Thanks. I kept the letter, and it now goes with Rayford everywhere. ( : For those that ever want to contact me in-game, I'm on Draenor. You can usually find me on either Rayford, Bitola, or Elfsbane. Feel free to drop by and drop me a line. Just remember, if I'm in an instance, and you start talking it up, you won't get much of a response. : P Anyway, with all that said, here's the story.

* * *

Ray noted the shocked look on his friends face. The way his jaw had dropped open, with his eyes wide and unblinking. He was sure that his sudden declaration had stopped Bog's train of thought. With a grunt, he turned his back on Bog and resumed working with the stove. He'd never been good at lighting fires, and this was just another one of those times. Mumbling a string of obscenities under his breath, Ray gave up, and lit the fire magically. Behind him, he heard Bog walk a few steps to the table in the middle of the room and sit on its surface. 

"Whacha makin, bro?"

"Winterspring Firewater," Ray responded. "Its gotta be hot before you can drink it."

"Yeah, I know, Ray. I also know what happens whenever you drink that stuff, man. Maybe you should hold off for a bit. You know, think things through," Bog pleaded.

It was true. Winterspring Firewater didn't affect Ray in good ways. But right now he needed something that would hit him, and hit him hard. For the time being, he just wanted to separate himself from the sinking feeling that was settling itself in his stomach.

Giving one last glance at his friend, Ray turned back to the stove and set a kettle of the Firewater on it, patiently waiting for it to heat up. As it reached the perfect temperature (just before boiling), he pulled it off and quickly poured himself a mug. Behind him, he heard Bog clearing his throat.

"Um...listen bro. Ya mind pouring me a glass, too?"

He looked back at his friend, one eyebrow raised questioningly. But seeing the look of utter seriousness on Bog's face convinced him that his friends feeling were genuine. Shrugging, he poured another mug and handed it to the Hunter.

Taking a deep breath, Ray began to chug his drink. He regretted it almost instantly, but he continued drinking regardless. Immediately he could feel the raw burning in his mouth and throat. It didn't get any better. As it went down, it also left a sharp, painful burning that traced a path down his throat and into his stomach. There it stayed, but did not settle. It was called "firewater" for a reason. As it spread outward from his stomach, to every corner of his body, it set every nerve ending on fire, leaving a dull yet agonizing pain when it eventually faded.

Somewhere, he was aware of himself grabbing the edge of the counter with one gauntleted hand, and squeezing with all of his might. He became fully aware of it when he heard the sound of stone beginning to crack. But it all existed outside of himself, because all he was at that moment was pain. Pain in his body, and in his mind.

You see, Winterspring Firewater also had one other trait to it. Not only is it one incredibly strong drink, but when too much is consumed in too short a time, it also serves to act as a hallucinogen, bringing forth the minds worst fears. And right now, as he looked down, he could see the gold and silver hilt of the dagger protruding from his chest, the guard pushed up firmly against his chest. He could also make out the dragon heads on the guard which signaled where the hilt ended, and the blade itself began. On each side of the guard there was a dragons head. Each of them had fiery red eyes that seemed to tunnel into his. It was as if they knew what their future held, and they wanted to make sure that, sooner or later, he would meet his fate at their hands.

He felt his eyes well up with tears as he thought about what his future held. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, the dagger was gone. His head still swam with a feeling of lightheadedness, and his skin felt like it might burst into fire at any moment. But he was no longer hallucinating. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Illaria.

"Ria, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine," he said quietly, hoping not to startle her.

"Ray…" she began. "I…I can't do this. If I stay with you, you'll die. I don't want that on my conscience."

Ray shook his head. Reaching one hand out, he placed it on her shoulder and spun her around. The second he got a look at her face, though, he regretted it. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with tears, and he could see them continue to stream down her face. She sniffled slightly, and he couldn't help but smile at the sound. She looked so cute and precious, and her concern for his well-being was deeply touching.

Gazing into her eyes, he plastered a reassuring smile on his face as he reached up with one of his enormous hands and, lowering her hood, wiped away her tears.

"Look, Ria, you and I both know what'll happen if we don't stick together. We both saw it in my vision. You leave, Azeroth is consumed by evil. You stay, I die, evil is defeated, and everyone in Azeroth gets a puppy." He mentally chalked up a minor victory as he saw her smile that that last comment. But it was short lived, as she cast her eyes down again and slumped her shoulders.

"But…Ray," she began.

"No. No but, Ria. Which is worse? Knowing that the entire world is suffering because you didn't want one Tauren to die? Or sacrificing the one, and saving the world?" He gazed into her eyes, putting strength behind his words. Honestly, it wasn't strength he had, but he knew what needed to happen, and he was willing to go to his fate, regardless of what it held. "Now, come on. Meet my friends. I think you'll like them," he said smiling as he handed her a towel to dry her eyes.

Still sniffling, Ria nodded, and taking the towel, wiped off the tears, then smiled up at him. Smiling back, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and they both turned towards the door to the sitting room.

They were just passing Bog who, up until this point, had been snapping his gaze all around him, when he suddenly called out. "Gaah! Get away from me you loud, short demon spawn! Ray! Can you hear them? Their annoying voices! I...Can't...Drown it out!" He cried, placing both hands over his ears. He spun around several times, his eyes cast on the floor, as if he was looking for, or at, something. Suddenly, he looked back up at the table where he'd sat his mug and saw a pan. Grasping it firmly, he began swinging it around his knees, trying to it whatever he thought was attacking him.

"Ray! You save Ria! I'll keep these gnomes busy!"

Ray and Ria traded confused glances, then burst out laughing. Reaching out quickly, Ray slapped Bog on the back of the head, trying to snap his friend out of his hallucination.

"Bog!" Ray said. "Cut it out. You'll scare the guests, ya lunatic!"

Bog turned towards Ray, and he could see the light of realization dawning in the Hunters eyes. Bog took a deep breath, attempting to control himself.

"Er...Sorry Ray. You know how I feel about Gnomes. Their high pitched voices drive me up a wall," Bog said, casting his eyes towards the floor. Wringing his hands around the pot for another minute, Bog sat the it back where he had found it, and then shook his head, attempting to clear his brain of the effects of the Winterspring Firewater.

"Bogarden, are you scared of Gnomes?" Ria asked, grinning mischievously.

"Not Gnomes themselves. Just their voices," Ray interjected, the same type of smile on his face. "Now, shall we?" He asked, extending a hand towards the sitting room.

Ria nodded, and together the trio walked into the room.

Immediately he could feel the temperature of the room drop by several degrees, and it all emanated from one corner of the room. Shifting his gaze, Ray could distinctly make out the looks of utter revulsion and hatred in the eyes of several of his comrades. Namely Sukar, Lara, Aly, and Xandir. Four of the people he'd really been counting on.

Before he could begin, however, the quartet all exchanged glances at one another, and together they stood and turned towards the door.

Ray allowed them to walk only a handful of steps before he responded.

"And just where do you four think you're going?" Ray asked lazily, as if the answer was of no consequence.

"Out an' away from her, mon. Night Elfies dun mix well wit' Trolls an' da Blood Elves," Sukar responded. The other three nodded their heads in agreement.

"Is that so? Funny, nobody asked ME if they could leave," he replied. "And last I checked, not only are you four here at my beckoning, but all four of you also owe me a debt. Something along the lines of a life debt, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not mistaken, am I?" Narrowing his eyes, Ray glared fiercely at the four, daring them to speak against him.

"Ray, it is not as if we are dishonoring you, or our debt to you," Xandir responded in his smooth, level voice. "It is simply the fact that we don't see the need to risk our lives for a kaldorei." Xandir spat this last word out and narrowed his brown eyes at Illaria, as if even saying the name of a Night Elf sickened him.

"Mmmhmm...Ya don't say? So, because she's here, you're just gonna walk out. Is that right?" Ray didn't bother to really ask it as a question, and he didn't give them time to respond. "Ya know what I think of that. And you know what'll happen if any of you walk out that door." He accented his threat by placing one hand on the dagger at his left hip as he said this.

The four looked at each other in confusion, not quite sure what to do. It was Sukar that made the first move. Shrugging, he turned back towards the door and went to take another step.

_Fzzzz—Thunk!_

Ray's dagger embedded itself into the stone right in front of Sukar. Only the Rogue's quick reflexes that spared him a new nose piercing. Sukar leapt back, drawing both his daggers by the time he landed. He didn't have a chance to move, though, before Ray had crossed ten yards between them and stood in front of the door, his axe in one hand and a totem in the other.

"'Ey mon! Whacha do dat fo'?! Ya coulda killed me, mon! An' I ain't had me no chil'ren yet, neither!" Sukar practically yelled.

"You're not leaving. Not yet," Ray responded quickly, biting out each word. "Remember who you owe your life to."

"I dun owe my life ta no Night Elf, dat be fo' sho!" Sukar spit out, narrowing his eyes and tightening the grip on his daggers.

"You're not doing it for her. You're doing it for me. Look, Sukar, lemme ask you something. If you knew that you could help bring peace to Azeroth. I mean _all_ of Azeroth, you would do it, right? No matter what the cost?" Ray spoke calmly and quietly, forcing everyone to pay attention to his words.

"Yeah. 'Course mon. I'd do anyting if it meant raisin me young'uns wit'out da fear of da Alliance comin at us," Sukar responded immediately, glaring at Illaria slightly.

"What if it meant you had to die. Is that too great a cost? Your life for a world of peace." As Ray spoke these words, he could see the dawning in Sukar's eyes. The Rogue knew that he'd just walked into a trap, and that there was no escaping. Nevertheless, Sukar took a minute before answering. "Dat still dun mean dat I gotta risk my life, or da life of me mate fo' some Night Elfy."

"Then don't. You don't even know what I was going to ask of you," he said. "And don't worry, Lara won't be in any danger, either. Just sit and listen to what I've gotta say, ok?"

"Of course we will listen to you, Ray," Aly chimed in. "After all, its the least we can do, right Xan?" Aly elbowed her mate as she said his name.

"Er..Right, naturally we'll listen to what you have to say, Ray," Xandir added. "What were we thinking? We actually thought we'd walk out? Hah!"

Seeing that he was rapidly losing his supporters, Sukar closed his green eyes for a moment and sighed. "Alright, mon, we'll listen ta what ya gots ta say. Though I dun make no promises 'bout helpin you or dis Elfy out." With that, the four turned back and resumed their seats.

Satisfied, Ray too took a seat. Gesturing to another, he indicated that Ria should take the chair at his left, while Bog sat down on his right. Then, looking around, he met the eyes of every individual that had responded to his call. Only Veldara was missing, as her current duties took precedence.

"Ok, I'll break down what I know. At some point very soon, I'm going to die." He heard a faint intake of breath from Illaria, but he continued on regardless. "I'm actually going to die protecting Illaria here. And before you say anything Sukar, yes, its a necessary sacrifice. While I do, in fact, die, somehow my death means the salvation of Azeroth. Don't ask me how, I don't know. As you guys know, Ria and I met with Cairne recently. With his help, we induced my vision, and I was able to see most of the vision I've been having for three weeks now. It was all a bit fuzzy, but I remember quite a bit of it very clearly. I saw Ria and I walking through some foreign planet. Not just another place here on Azeroth. It was a whole 'nother planet altogether. On this planet, you could see pure nether energy flowing across the sky. Reds and purples and blues. The sheer amount of energy flowing through this place was astounding. And for good reason. The planet itself had been ripped apart by some massive force.

The first place I remember on this new planet was a red land. Imagine the sands of Durotar. Now, imagine what it would look like if it had been soaked in blood for hundreds of years. The sands were that red. And every animal here was fierce and mutated, and extremely hostile.

"If you head east from there, you enter a giant forest. This place is like the polar opposite of the first area. Everything here is alive, albeit still not always kind towards strangers. The trees here aren't exactly what they appear to be, however. In fact, they're giant mushrooms, oddly enough." At this description, Taur, who up until now had been looking down at the ground, suddenly snapped his eyes up and looked at Ray intently, but he said nothing. He considered asking Taur what the matter was, but he decided to wait. Taking another breath, he continued on with his story. "The mushroom trees are huge, going up at least 40 yards, easily. The whole place is sort of like a marsh, or swamp, actually.

"Head south from there, and you'll enter some grasslands. This new zone is like Mulgore. Green, somewhat hilly, and peaceful. Its like nature is at balance with everything else. The air was crisp, clean, and cool. And everything was alive and thriving.

"Now, head east and you'll enter another forest. Only this one is an actual forest, and doesn't have any mushrooms for trees. After a bit, you'll leave the forest, and enter some sort of dead zone, where everything has been burned, destroyed, or otherwise corrupted by dark energy. At its center is, or was, at least, some sort of domed city. Shortly after you pass this scarred area, you re-enter the forest.

"Finally, the most evil place in my vision. I don't know what this place is, but I'm glad I don't live there. Imagine if you were to combine the corruption of Felwood and the Plaguelands with the demons of the Blasted Lands. From there, include the searing, burning heat of Burning Steppes. This new place is worse than all that. The amount of just pure evil is overwhelming. Its nauseating, in fact. The air is dark, the ground is pure black, the water is fouler than that of the Plaguelands, and everything there is just pure evil.

"Somewhere is a doorway that leads underground into an expanse of tunnels. These tunnels run all throughout this area, and it's a huge maze. In my vision, I find myself running down these tunnels. I don't know where I'm going, or how I know it, but I seem to know which turns to make to reach my destination. Finally, after several minutes, I sense something. But rather than slow down, I speed up, and round one turn particularly fast, when I'm suddenly stopped cold, and I can feel a sharp pain suddenly bloom in my chest. In my vision, I'm face to face with a Night Elf. He's got some sort of scar running across his cheek, much like yours, Taur," Ray added, glancing at the Warrior. "He's also got some sort of burn marks on the other side of his face. They look fresh, like some recent battle had left him scarred like that. He's also taller than me, with long silver hair. But the most distinctive feature about him? He's got red eyes."

"Wait mon. Red eyes? Ain't no Night Elfy wit red eyes," Sukar interrupted.

"I agree, Ray. Are you sure that they were red, and not a deep orange? By no means am I an expert on the kaldorei, but I have never heard of one with red eyes. Have you heard of any, my love?" Aly turned and asked Xandir.

"I do not believe so, no. A Night Elf with red eyes _would_ be an interesting find, however," Xandir said thoughtfully. He looked as if he was about to say something else, when he suddenly glanced at Illaria. Considering for a moment, he took a short, sharp breath. "And you, Night Elf? Have _you_ ever heard of one of your kind with red eyes?"

It was obvious that the question had caught Ria off guard, and it took her several seconds to register that she was being spoken to. However, she did not respond, and instead tilted her head to one side in confusion.

"Ah, of course. How silly of me. She has not deigned herself to learn Orc. What languages _does_ she speak, Ray?" Xandir asked Ray the question as one would ask another about their pet, and the tricks that it could do.

"Er...I'm not sure, actually. Taurahe, Common, and Darnassian are all that I'm aware of. Let me find out," Ray said as he turned to Ria. _Great. I never counted on her not speaking Orc. Guess I get to play to play translator, _he thought to himself. He didn't have a chance to say anything, though, before Ria piped up for herself, and in Orc, none the less.

"First off, sin'dorei, I _can _speak Orc. I was merely thinking back to see if I knew of any kaldorei that I knew of with red eyes. And second off, my name is Illaria. Please try to remember it. Though I am sure that with your constant magic addiction nagging at you, your mind is riddled with holes." She spoke with venom in her voice, and Ray could barely keep himself from laughing at the expression on Xandir's face. The Paladin had been put in his place rather well. "Now," she continued. "Yes, I do know of a Night Elf with red eyes. His name is Darius Rageblade. He was formerly--"

"Formerly General Rageblade," Ray interrupted. "I know who you're talking about now.". The admission of the name left many in the room perplexed, with the exception of Sukar and Taur, who instead showed nothing but fury and rage.

"Do you mean to say, Ray," Taur said quietly, his deep voice strained as he attempted to control himself, "that you are to be killed by the Butcher of Shattered Shield Outpost?"

"Yes, sounds like it."

"Then tell me this, Ray. Will he die?"

"I'd imagine so. Though I haven't gotten far enough into my vision to see it for certain."

"Ya know Ray? Fo'get what I said earlier, mon. If it means dat da Butcher be gettin killed, den I gots no problem helpin you an' da Elfy out."

"Glad to hear it, Sukar. I assume the rest of you are in?" Ray ran his eyes across the rest of the group, all of whom nodded upon meeting his gaze. "Excellent. Well then, for tonight, lets all rest up. We'll take a few days and think up a plan. Maybe I'll get something more out of my vision. Now, as you guys know, there's not enough bedrooms here in the house. But, there is the--"

"Dibs!" Sukar and Lara called simultaneously, much to the chagrin of Aly and Xan.

"--guest...house..." Ray finished. "Well, ok then. The rest of us will stay at the house. Taur, you looked like you were going to say something a bit ago. What was it?"

Taur, startled slightly that he had been caught, cast a look at around the room. Sighing, he leaned further into the group. Ray locked his eyes on Taur's green ones, and waited for the Warrior to speak.

"Ray, I must ask you. You have never been to Outland, have you?" He spoke softly but quickly, his deep voice betrayed the urgency of his question.

"No, I haven't. I've heard stories here and there. Whisperings about it, but I've yet to see it for myself."

"The land you just described. It was Outland, stone for stone." Ray gasped deeply at this revelation. _Outland..._he thought to himself as Taur continued his description. "The first thing that clued me in was the mushroom forest that you described. That was Zangarmarsh. From there, if you head south, you enter Nagrand. Go east, and you're in Terrokar Forest. Continue on, and you'll see Auchindoun. Even further east is Shadowmoon Valley. This place is even more evil than it sounds. Countless members of both the Horde and Alliance have lost their lives there, and yet the corruption and evil still flourishes."

"So, let me get this straight," he said, his voice cracking as he realized where he would die. "I'm going to die in Outland? In this...Shadowmoon Valley?" Taur nodded his head solemnly.

Ray could feel his breathing picking up, but he said nothing. He couldn't speak. Couldn't think. All that was running through his mind was the thought of her. The only other Druid that he had really gotten to know. _Maybe I'll be able to find __**her.**__ Just maybe._ Ray shook himself out of his thoughts and looked around at the faces of his friends and allies. It was then that he realized that he might have to fight this battle alone. Composing himself, he spoke. "Right. Well then. Tonight, lets go ahead and rest up. Tomorrow we'll come up with a course of action." Standing, he signaled the end of the meeting.

* * *

Outside, Illaria had found a boulder to sit on. It was sunset, and she liked seeing the last rays of sunshine as day gave way to night. While Mulgore didn't compare to Teldrassil in terms of beauty, she still found it quiet and peaceful, and she loved the serenity and feeling of balance that seemed to permeate the land. 

So wrapped up in her revere for it was she that she didn't even hear Ray walk up to her. Only when he was past her did she remember where she was, and the danger that seemed to accompany her. Seeing him had brought back all the sadness, depression, and overwhelming despair that she had felt back at Cairne's hut when it had been revealed that Ray would die for her. He was a kind Tauren, quite unlike what she had been brought up to believe. True, while she had had plenty of contact with Tauren's during her time in the Circle, she had thought that it was only due to the fact that they were Druids.

But it wasn't just his kindness. There was something else about him that she admired. Not just admired. That she found attractive. It may have been his sense of humor. Or duty. Or the fact that he was determined to see his destiny through, even though it would mean his death.

While she had had several lovers back in Teldrassil, none of them had really felt right. They had all been after one thing. Her position. Her title. Her father was a councilor to High Priestess Tyrande, and it would be hers upon his death. It was a glorious and honor filled position, and many people sought one's like it, though few succeeded. There was only one way into it. Heritage. If a high councilor died, their position would be passed onto the eldest child. Or, in the case of women, the husband. Many male Night Elves had been interested in her solely because they wanted her fathers position.

But she had a feeling that Ray wouldn't care. He had risked his life on the assumption that she was still a member of the Circle. He had continued to risk his life based solely on her word that she intended to defect. Now he was calling in favors from friends to help her. And not just favors. Life debts. He had go to such lengths to help and shelter her, and yet she wouldn't be able to pay him back for his kindness. And now that she knew he would die saving her...It was all too much.

Illaria felt her eyes well up with tears as all these thoughts ran through her mind.

As he shrunk off into the distance, she wished that she would be able to thank him for everything that he had done.

* * *

It was several hours before Ray returned. But he wasn't alone. He had brought some female companionship along with him. After leaving the house, he'd headed to his favorite bar at Thunder Bluff, the The Bar on the Bluff. There, he'd picked up this evening's company. They'd originally planned on going to her home for the night, but when she'd learned who he was, she insisted on going to his house instead. His family was slightly famous, and so he'd always gone to lengths to hide his identity when in Mulgore. It wasn't because he was ashamed. Far from it. It was because he felt that those accomplishments weren't his own. When it was time for him to be remembered, he wanted to be remembered because of what _he_ had done. Not because of his name. 

After they'd arrived, he had given her the "grand tour," which eventually led to his bedroom on the third floor. Once they'd rolled around in the sheets for a bit, they ended up on the small couch he kept in the room. There he sat, sweating slightly from the nights activities while she lay stretched out on it, her head in his lap.

He sat there silently, wrapped in nothing but the darkness of the night. His mind was reeling with the thoughts of the day. So many emotions bounced around inside him, he wanted to burst into maniacal laughter one moment, then break down sobbing the next. He felt excruciating depression, followed by nothing but hardened resolve.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to slow down the swell of emotions by losing himself in the buzzing in his head, which had been induced by the liberal amounts of alcohol he'd consumed earlier that evening. But even that couldn't distract him, and he felt his mind continue to wander to his fate. Opening his eyes again, he raised one of his hands. Concentrating for a moment, his efforts were rewarded when a small flame appeared in the air above his hand. He wove his hand from side to side while manipulating his fingers, forcing the flame to alter its shape into various forms.

He glanced down at his partner. Her eyes were still shut, and she seemed quite asleep. He unwrapped his other arm from around her, and raised it to the same level as his first hand. Pouring forth more effort, he was again rewarded when a small sphere of ice appeared above his other hand. He moved this one around too, and, although he tried again and again, he couldn't get it to change shape.

Ray began to draw the two opposing elements closer together. When they were within just a few inches of each other, he could feel them pushing back at his hands, trying to keep away from the force that would extinguish them.

The closer her drew them, the more they resisted. When they reached two inches, they began to reach out tendrils of pure mana to one another. He continued to push, and their tendrils increased in number and width. He experimented by pushing them closer together, and then pulling them further apart, just to see what their reactions to one another would be.

But he soon got bored, and, with a sigh, closed his left hand into a fist, dismissing the spell. He focused his gaze on the fireplace on the far side of the room. His bedroom was fairly large. Roughly 30 yards across, and 40 yards deep, and the couch and fireplace were on the furthest opposite ends of one another. To his left was the door, and just past that was the left wall, up against which sat his bed. To his right was the right wall, which had a dresser and a bookshelf, filled with more types of books than one could find at most libraries. And on the opposite side of the room was the fireplace, which sat next to a window overlooking the property.

Concentrating, he thrust his hand forward, projecting the flame towards the fireplace. In his current state, he hadn't expected to get anywhere near the fireplace, let alone the solitary log that was resting in it. He was quite pleased with himself when it burst into flame, lighting the room and warming it up rather quickly.

The sudden change in temperature caused his companion for the night to stir, then awaken. Blinking sleepily several times, she smiled up at him from her position. He smiled back and reached a hand down to brush away a lock of hair.

Sitting up, she stretched and yawned. "What time is it?" She asked.

Ray let loose a yawn of his own, taking a moment to consider. "I'd say around 2am. Maybe half past. Why? Got somewhere you gotta be?"

She gave him a pitying look, one that said he'd hit the reason for her question right on the head. "Yes, I do, unfortunately. Though I'd much rather just snuggle up close to you," she traced a finger down his arm, then along his thigh. "Unfortunately I've got to meet somebody early tomorrow, and I have to get home."

"Of course. Not a problem. I'll help you find your clothes. I'm sure that they're pretty well scattered around the house," he flashed her another grin, this one a mixture of wickedness and dark desire.

Silently, the two gathered her clothes together, and after she got dressed, he bid her goodnight. Ray stood in the entrance to his home for several long moments, watching his companion depart. As she faded into the night, he could feel an overwhelming depression and sadness begin to rise up within him.

He let out a long, deep sigh, and shut the door. With tired, weary steps he made his way up the stairs and back to his bedroom. Once there, he shut the door and leaned up against it. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Now that he was alone, he could feel the full weight of his destiny weighing down on him. He wasn't scared of death. Members of the Elfsbane family had a history of...He shut that line of thought down. For now, he was still alive, and he was determined to enjoy all that he had.

Opening his eyes again, he walked over to the window and gazed out at his land. It had always been quiet and peaceful and secluded. He was descended from eight generations of Shaman/Druid couples, and as such, their connection to the land was strong. Strong enough that, over time, nature itself had guarded their home. Since then, innumerable enchants and spells had been placed on the surrounding area, preventing all who would trespass from finding the house. Unless they were welcome guests, they could wander the woods for days and not find the house. Thus, it had been protected against scavengers for the many years that Ray had been away. He loved this house, and he'd been hoping to pass it down to his children. When he'd had some, that is. Now, though, he'd have to think of what to do instead.

He had so many matters to attend to. He'd have to make sure everything was in order before...Ray shook his head, attempting to stop the train of thought.

Sighing again, he let his gaze roam over what was essentially his backyard. As his eyes passed over a large boulder, he noticed something odd, and he had to do a double take when he realized what it was.

It was Ria. She was on the boulder. But not alone. She was surrounded by all kinds of creatures native to Mulgore. Squirrels, rabbits, a few birds. He even saw a Prairie Stalker and Crag Coyote amongst the group. But nothing seemed the least bit frightened. It was as if they were all at balance, wanting to be near the source of peace that had been introduced to the region.

But that wasn't all. Wherever his gaze landed, it was pitch black. He inclined his head to look at the sky. It was cloudy. Very cloudy. The elements had probably sensed his mood, and conjured the clouds to show that they empathized with him. But right in the middle of the cloud cover was an area that wasn't clouded over. And it was through this circle that the moon shone forth brightly. Brighter than he'd ever seen, in fact.

He pondered this for a moment, wondering why there was a hole in the clouds. And then it hit him. She was a Night Elf, and odds were that she was praying to the Moon Goddess, Elune. He'd heard stories of Night Elves and Elune, but he never thought he'd see a sign of it.

He let his eyes drift back to her. She was still wearing the shirt and pants he'd gotten for her the first day they'd met. She had her back to him, so he couldn't see the expression on her face, but he could tell that it was inclined upwards toward the moon. He imagined that her eyes were closed, and that she was uttering silent prayers to the Moon Goddess.

He wished that they had met under different circumstances. She was, after all, quite beautiful, and as much as he enjoyed seeing her naked body, he always found himself staring into her glowing, icy blue eyes. They were so large and beautiful and expressive. She seemed so innocent, and he could tell that she was having trouble keeping her cool. He couldn't blame her. After all, if he were in her shoes, he'd feel the same way. Turning your back on not only your race, but your faction. Trading all you know to join a group of people that are more likely going to kill you than to shelter you. Then finding out that you will single handedly be the instrument of demise for somebody who had saved you on numerous occasions.

Ray took several deep breaths, trying to bring himself to the here and now. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get any thinking done here. He pondered where he could go for a moment. It was 2 in the morning, and essentially every place in Thunder Bluff would be closed. Plus, he didn't know if he'd feel like making the ride anyway. He could go to the river that ran by the house, but that was sure to be cold. And he was sure that he didn't want to be cold and wet in the middle of the night. That left him with one option.

He would go to see them...


	9. Chapter 9 Silver Eyes

**Oh man. So sorry about this delay, folks. Things have been crazy for me. You've got no idea. A lot of personal stuff. Coupled with the lack of inspiration and motivation for this chapter, and it resulted in not so much on the writing front. However, I've recovered from my funk, and I'm already hard at work tackling the next chapter. And I promise it won't be 3 months before I get it fired off! Nor will it only be 4 pages. -.- And if it takes me more than a month, you're welcome to come to Draenor and pester me till I get it posted. Anyway, thank you all SO MUCH for being patient. Again, I'm sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Its not as good as the next one, but its still alright. **

**I also wanna mention that I've gotten a prologue written up. Unfortunately, I can't seem to figure out how to post it before all my other chapters. If anyone can help me out, please let me know. My email SHOULD be public, but if its not, feel free to leave feedback telling me how to do it. If its not possible, then oh well. Guess its no biggie, since its like a page. **

* * *

She sat there alone, silent, surrounded by things she loved the most. As a Night Elf, she valued solitude and silence. As with all of her people, she also grew up with a fondness for the moon, acknowledging the strength and power that it granted those of her race. As a Druid, she surrounded by nature in its many forms. The three things together brought her peace, and a sense of relaxation that she hadn't had in months. 

And around her neck, she wore the necklace that her father had given her. He had given it to her the same day she'd successfully transformed into her first animal form. It had been a difficult and challenging test. She had nearly given in to the animal instincts and fled. But she'd overcome it, and had succeeded in reverting to her true form again.

The necklace was said to once belong to Malfurion Stormrage, first of the Druids, and it was that the necklace was magically enchanted, though she didn't know how or if it was true. All she knew was that it provided a sense of comfort when she needed it.

Unconsciously, with her eyes still closed, she reached a hand up to touch the necklace. She felt herself trace the outline of the jewel in it, and as she did, her awareness of her surroundings expanded. It was as if she had been in a room that before had darkened, and someone had come in and lit a torch, brightening it up and allowing her to see every detail. And that was when she felt it.

It was a wolf, and something was wrong.

Before she was even aware of what she was doing, she was walking in the woods, following the same trail as the wolf. She didn't know how long she walked, but before she knew it, she was entering a clearing. The serenity and peace of the clearing slammed into her like a mace, taking her breath away, and it took her a few moments for her to realize what it was she was seeing.

In the middle of the clearing and facing her sat a number of gravestones, with a solitary tree planted behind them. Next to each gravestone sat a brazier, where a small fire sat burning. And near the far edge of the clearing a small stream flowed, providing some background noise to the scene. It took her a few moments, but she quickly realized that she was not alone. Against the tree sat Rayford, his eyes were locked on hers.

"I...I'm sorry," she stammered, her face turning several shades of darker blue. "I was...uh….following a wolf that I thought was injured. I thought it came here. I'll just...um..." Her sentence trailed off, as he beckoned her to sit next to him by patting a hand on the ground next to him. Numbly, she walked over to where he was, and stood looking down at where he indicated she sit, hesitating.

"Come. Sit," he said with a smile, patting the ground again. Silently she sat down next to him and rested her back to the tree.

She didn't know how long they sat there in silence. She couldn't help but feel as if she was invading on some private time for the Tauren, and thus felt incredibly awkward. Fortunately, the silence didn't last long, as Rayford cleared his throat.

"Do you know why I like it here?" he asked.

She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I can't say that I do. But now that I'm here, I find it…serene."

"Hah. That's partially the reason," he said, flashing a small smile at her. "But look. Here I am, surrounded by my forefathers, with all of the elements nearby. Earth underneath me. Fire there," here he gestured to the gravestones, "providing light for my ancestors. Water behind me. And the air, always moving around us. I can come here and simply sit, and watch, and feel my troubles vanish."

As he spoke, she could hear his voice drifting off, and she couldn't help but sneak a glance at him. Not surprisingly, he looked as though he was lost in the moment. Caught up in the security that this place provided. With a shake of his head, he brought himself back to the moment. And she couldn't blame him. As a Druid, she, too, could feel the energy in the surroundings.

"You can live here, you know," Rayford said unexpectedly.

"I...I'm sorry?" She wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

He turned towards her, his eyes full of pain and hope and internal suffering.

"After things...Well, you know. Happen. You can live here. I won't need it, after all. I mean, you'll have to deal with Bog every now and then. I mean, he's practically my brother, so its as much his house. But I've got a feeling you'll need a place to live. So..." He let his sentence trail off.

She could feel her eyes welling up with tears. Even with all that was happening, he still continued to give.

She chose to distract herself before she broke out into tears.

"So...I noticed the tabard everyone else was wearing. Its from the Keepers of the Void. But you're not wearing one. Are you not in the same guild?" She asked.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. I'm in the same guild. I just don't wear it for personal reasons, that's all." He seemed taken aback by her question. But she chalked it up to the sudden change in topics.

"I hear that it is one of the most prodigious and exclusive guilds that the Horde has. But is it true what they say about the Guild Master? Have you ever met him? I hear that no one really knows who he is."

He sighed lightly, the type of sigh that told her he answered questions like this all the time. But he humored her. "Of course I've met him. In fact, he and I are good friends. What do they say about him?"

"Well, um, they say that he's almost 15' tall, with four arms, and black eyes. I hear that his armor is always coated with the blood of his enemies, and that he's got two primary weapons. One is a giant stone axe. I've heard its so heavy that even a Tauren would need two hands to swing it. And the other is a set of claws that he ripped from Onyxia's own paw. Oh. And I heard that all he seeks is battle. That he was born on a battlefield, and that is all that he has known since he was the tiniest of infants. Honestly, he's feared a lot by many in the Alliance."

His first reaction surprised her, because it was not what she expected. Rather than an answer, he simply burst out laughing. His loud, deep, billowing laugh must have echoed from where they were, to his house, and back again. But despite its volume, she liked his laugh. It was large, and full, and deep. And she could tell he was genuinely amused with his laugh.

He laughed so long and so hard that she thought he'd pass out, and she couldn't help but laugh a bit with him as he clutched his chest, wheezing for breath. Finally, after several minutes of laughter and catching his breath, Ray finally composed himself enough to speak.

"Wow. Is that what the kind of information that floats around in the Alliance? Ok then." He exhaled deeply. "Well, I can tell ya that he's not like that at all. As a matter of fact, a lot of that is wrong. In fact, you've got two things right. The first one is his axe. That actually exists. But it takes a great effort for him to swing it with one arm. And the claws. He's crafted it into a fist weapon. Its really cool, honestly. But he prefers not to use it unless he has to. You know, now that I think about it, he hates fighting. He avoids it whenever possible. He's a great leader. Hence why the guild follows him like they do."

She considered his words for a minute before replying. "So that means you've met him, then. Right," she asked, looking up at him.

"Sure, I've met him. In fact, so have you."

She was surprised at this statement. Thus far she hadn't met anyone that had struck her as the guild master type, and she immediately began to wonder who it was that could be leading one of the most feared and respected Horde guilds in all of Azeroth. Bogarden was quiet and aloof. He seemed to always be paying attention to everything. But Taurgard gave off a strong, introspective feeling. And then there was Teris, Veldara, and Ya'viri, as well as everyone she met tonight.

She was so caught up in her musings that she didn't even hear Rayford's question. It wasn't until he coughed to get her attention that she realized that he had asked her a question. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she blushed with embarrassment. Rayford, on the other hand, just smiled politely, obviously aware that she had not heard him.

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I asked if you had any family back home. Family? Husband? Children?"

"Oh. Um, no, I don't. Well, my father. He doesn't know what I did. Or didn't know, rather. I am sure that word has reached him by now of my defection. My mother died a long time ago. And I _was_ married, but no longer. He just wasn't…_isn't_ the man that I married. And what of you, Rayford? Do you have any kin?"

Rayford snorted, a distinctly bull-like sound, but said nothing for a minute.

"I have no one. My parents died many years ago. And I have no mate. No cousins, no nieces, and no nephews. Bogarden is my only family. He and my guildmates are the closest thing I have to a family. But even after I am gone, I will live on."

This last statement puzzled Illaria, and she couldn't help by shoot a perplexed look at the Shaman. It wasn't what he said that confused her, but rather the tone in his voice when he said it.

"Ria, I have a favor to ask of you. And it would honor me greatly if you could do it for me," as he spoke, he turned to her, and she could feel the gravity of the request beginning to weigh on her. But still she nodded, willing to do whatever she needed to repay her debt to him. "After I've fulfilled my destiny, and am buried here, could you light a fire for me? Like the braziers here. And make sure that it burns every day? Or...Uh…As long as you feel like watching it. It's a tradition in my family, and I'd hate to have it end with me."

She could feel her throat tighten up and her eyes begin to water. Not trusting herself to speak, she instead nodded again, and it was impossible to mistake the gratitude in Rayford's face.

* * *

As they spoke, a pair of silver eyes slipped away, and faded into the darkness. 


	10. Chapter 10 To Karazhan

**Author's note: So yesh. Guess what happens when ya move twice in less than a month, and start a new job? You don't have much time to be making the writing. : P Anyway, thats my excuse this time. I hope you guys like this chapter, though I HIGHLY recommend that you go back and re-read chapter 1. I made a slight change that will help the end of this chapter make sense. The change is very minute, but its only a few paragraphs in, so you don't have to re-read it all. Anyway, you guys read, hope you enjoy. As always, please feel free to leave feedback. **

* * *

Vaguely, she was aware of the sun shining on her face, and she couldn't help but screw up her eyes in a vain attempt to keep it out. But her best efforts, the sun kept on shining, making the inside of her eyelids look like a curtain of red. So she rolled over. But that did her no good, since the light shone through her third story bedroom window, bounced off of a mirror on the opposite wall, and reflected the light into her eyes with more intensity than before. Sighing in exasperation, she rolled onto her stomach. At least this way, the light wasn't reflecting into her eyes. With a contented sigh, she relaxed.

But then she heard it. Something that would not allow her to sleep.

Loud chatter, laughter, and the occasional sound of a plate or cup.

She groaned as she realized that she wouldn't be able to sleep through that, and as resignation set in, she yawned and arched her back up, stretching in a distinctly feline manner. Blinking, realization slowly hit her, and she was startled to find that she had woken up in a different spot than she'd fallen asleep in. Casting her memory back, she remembered sitting in..._in the what?_ She thought. In the woods. With Ray. It was his family grave site. There they'd sat and talked for what must have been hours. He'd told her all manner of things about himself, and she'd shared several details of her life as well. The last thing she'd remembered was watching the sun come up, his arm around her keeping her warm, and her head against his chest, thinking how soft and fuzzy it felt.

She must have dozed off, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed about it. Shrugging, she stood up, and swayed a bit as the blood rushed from her head. Slowly she made her way to the stairs. As she passed Rayford's room, she was shocked to find the door open, and the room empty. Surely the Tauren had not stayed up all night. But from the looks of things, he had, even after carrying her the whole way back to his home, up two flights of stairs, and into the room she had been given.

She smiled slightly in respect, and turned to face the stairs, when she was confronted by a large, dark face, its two large, green eyes boring into her own. Gasping in shock, she took two quick steps backwards before realizing who she was looking at.

Bogarden, on the other hand, simply smiled courteously.

"Mornin sleepy," he said. "Hope ya rested well. We've got breakfast downstairs if you're hungry."

It took Illaria another moment to calm her racing heart, but she nodded her acceptance and followed Bogarden down to the dining room, which sat in the opposite corner of the house than the sitting room she'd seen from the day before.

At the table sat most of the people that she had met last night, as well as several new faces. And at one end of the table sat Rayford, with an empty chair on either side of him. Bogarden went to the other table in the room and helped himself to the rather large assortment of food that had been laid out sometime during the morning.

Illaria walked over as well, and was quite astonished at the amount of food there was to choose from. Eggs, toast, several assortments of meats, some sort of oatmeal that looked as if it had been baked, amongst other things. Selecting several different and exquisite looking items, she sat at the only remaining chair, on Rayford's left. Selecting one of the meats that she had chosen, she took a small bite, and was shocked when she recognized the flavor. Surprised, she looked from her plate, to Rayford, back to her plate, and back to the Tauren, who, by this time, was grinning mischievously.

"Like it?" His grin grew wider.

"It...Is it what I think it is?"

"Nightsaber meat, yes. I had it imported for you. Couldn't have my favorite Night Elf feeling homesick, now could I?" His smile changed from cunning to reassuring, and Illaria couldn't help but return the smile. Silently mouthing a thank you, she turned back to her breakfast and dove in.

* * *

After breakfast, he stood and raised his hand, silencing the table and gaining everyone's attention instantly.

"I received word this morning from Warchief Thrall. We are to depart for Karazhan immediately. Gather your gear everyone. We leave first thing tomorrow morning." He sat back down, and was assaulted almost immediately with questions. Who were they being sent after? Who would be going inside? Who was backup? What consumables would they need?

With a snort, he looked up from his plate, and ran his narrowed eyes across everyone at the table, silencing the room instantly. After several seconds of awkward silence, Xandir stood up. Taking a moment to straighten his tabard, he looked at all present.

"Right then. I believe that Alyndia and I will prepare ourselves and pack. We have quite a few things to put away, you know. My dearest?" With that, he offered a hand to the Warlock, who took the hand and stood. Together, the pair left.

Seconds later, a rush of apologies, excuses, and pardon me's emanated from every corner of the table, as all present excused themselves to pack. When all was said and done, only Ria, Bog, and Ray remained.

Snorting, he shook his head in exasperation and turned to look at Bog, who had suddenly stood up.

"Where are you going, Bog? Do you need to pack?" The Shaman asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Bog chuckled as he responded. "Of course not, bro. You know that I never unpack when we get here. We never stay long enough to make it worth it. I was getting up because the other two have arrived." As he finished, the Hunter headed off towards the front door.

"Excellent," he responded, standing. Turning, he offered his hand to Illaria. "You'll want to come with us. Part of this will pertain to you, Ria." The Night Elf looked up at him in confusion as she took his hand and stood, and he couldn't help but melting a little bit as he gazed into her soft blue eyes. But then his vision appeared before him, and he was reminded of why she had been brought into his life. Slapping himself mentally, he guided her to the front door, where he saw Bog and the other two guests talking.

The first figure he saw was a Tauren. Short for a female, she stood roughly eight feet tall. Boasting a narrow frame, she was covered in milky white fur that gradually darkened the further down her body it traveled. Two small horns emerged from her head, the left one easily two inches shorter than the right. Her dark leather armor, though, was a stark contrast to her fur, providing an intricate pattern of red, blue, and chocolate brown.

The second arrival had her back turned to the them, and spun to face them when Ray and Ria walked around the corner. Immediately, she focused her yellow eyes on Illaria and widened them in shock. Her white cloth armor was spotless and shimmered slightly in the sunlight. Underneath her armor, Ray could see her pale skin sagging off of her skin, but her eyes displayed an intellect that had not been dulled by undeath.

"Hello Miyari, Monasti. Glad to see you arrive so quickly." He bowed to the two guests, then turned slightly to gesture to Ria. "This is Illaria. She's under my protection. Illaria, this is Monasti," he waved a hand at the Forsaken. "And Miyari," he gestured at the Tauren. "Miyari, first off. I need you to craft some armor for Illaria. When we made our escape from Booty Bay, she had to leave hers behind, and has been wearing some extra clothes that I've had lying around. I'll pay for any materials. She just needs armor, and quickly."

Miyari bowed. Turning to Ria, Miyari intertwined her arm with the Night Elves and began to lead her away, asking questions that would prove useful in the making of her armor.

He watched them go, hoping that the decisions he was making were the right ones. The ones he had to make. But worry as he might, there was nothing he could do except trust in the elements. Shaking his head, he turned to face the Forsaken that was standing between he and Bog. Inclining her head to look him in the face, he couldn't help but almost chuckle at how short the Forsaken was. But out of respect, he fought off the urge. Instead, he opted to smile down at her. "Monasti," he began. "Thank you for coming. The Keepers will need your help in Karazhan."

* * *

The group left before dawn the next morning, setting a brisk pace across the plains of Mulgore. Illaria, astride Fiercetusk, did her best to keep the bulky kodo in the middle of the pack, as Ray, atop a large wolf, rode beside her, assisting her when he deemed it necessary.

The rest of the group surrounded her and Ray, providing cover in the event that they fell under attack. To her left were Viri, Veldara, and Teris. Ahead of her rode Bogarden and Taurgard. Behind her were Sukar, Al'lara, and Selia. And to her right, beyond Ray, were Alyndia and Xandir. While everyone else chatted happily, one member kept quiet, afraid of what they would say if they opened their mouth.

Seated on her raptor, she stared, furious. Ray was _her_ man, and nobody else's. She had been there for Ray after the incident with his wife. He had come to her, and she had rebuilt him. And after a year and a half together, how had he thanked her? By leaving her. And now here he was flirting with this Night Elf whore as if what they had had didn't matter. It was as if all she had done for him had never happened, and she didn't exist.

Oh yes, she seethed. She was furious, and upset, and downright _pissed off._ Mentally she contemplated ways to deal with the Night Elf. She imagined getting her alone, and sinking her trusty dagger right into Illaria's back. And then, as the Elf looked up at her with the life fading out of her blue eyes, she would smile back, content in the knowledge that her man would again only have eyes for her.

Or perhaps she would shoot her with an arrow. Mentally, she saw herself with the arrow on the string. She saw herself taking aim at the Night Elf's neck or chest, and smiling as she released the arrow. In her minds eye, she saw the arrow sail true to its target, burying deep into Illaria. And as Illaria lay there, her life blood flowing freely out of her body, she would slink up and grab the arrow and _twist_ it and _turn_ it, hurting her as much as she could in her final moments.

Her mood lifted, Ya'Viri smiled and sat back, making additional plans and entertaining more thoughts of killing Illaria.


	11. Chapter 11 A Very Personal Matter

**Woot. Another chapter done. I threw in a bit at the end that I've wanted to include from chapter two. I also experimented with a different writing style or two. For the most part, I've been using one character's perspective throughout an entire chapter. But for this one and the last one, I've been bouncing between different perspectives, and trying to make it flow smoothly. I hope it works for you guys. I've also tried to include a lot more detail and description. With any luck, its not TOO much. I was reading Tom Wolfe's A Man In Full, and was really inspired by his writing. So I decided to try it out. : P Anywho, I'm gonna get back to work hammering out the next chapter. Big twist (sorta) coming. See you guys soon. Oh, and I've made a few changes to a couple chapters. Chapter two has a minor revision (Illaria is now only 7' tall). But chapter five has had a little blurb added to it ("why couldn't Illaria heal Rayford?!"). The reason I use is cheap, but whatever. : P**

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"What do you MEAN there aren't anymore riding bats?" A voice rang out. 

Standing near the zeppelin tower, Illaria tried to keep herself wrapped up in her cloak and blended in. As far as anyone knew, she was just a Blood Elf traveling to Karazhan with her guild. The last thing she wanted to do was be discovered in the middle of a Horde base camp. Fortunately, she had no doubt that Bog, who knelt next to her as he fed his worg, would protect her. And if worst came to worst, the rest of the Keepers, all of whom were behind her, near the entrance to the zeppelin tower, would jump in as well.

"You already SAID that. I want to know WHY. Give me answers, not excuses, dammit!" Came the voice again, angrier than before. "I don't give a shit about what others want. I've got a lot of people with me that need bats, and we need them now." The voice paused. "So what? You got the letter from Warchief Thrall, correct?" Another pause. "There. That settles it. Either get us some bats right flippin now, or not getting paid will be the least of your worries!" Another pause, followed by a loud sigh. "Ya know what? Fine. But so help me, they better be ready. Otherwise we'll introduce you to a particularly mean worg that could really use a snack right now. And after its done, _then_ we'll turn you over to Thrall."

A few moments later, and the owner of the voice rounded the fence that separated the flight master from the zeppelin tower. As he approached the group, Illaria couldn't help but note the forlorn expression on his face, and felt an immediate urge to go to his side and comfort him. But she kept her mouth shut and squashed down the urge, waiting to see what he said. He took a moment to compose himself before he said anything, taking several deep breaths before he began speaking.

"We've got a few problems here," Rayford said. "First," he extended one of this three massive fingers. "There aren't any riding bats. Either here or at Booty Bay.

Second," another finger. "There won't be any coming in tonight. And third," the third finger. "The road to Stonard is blocked off right now. Some farmers or...something..have made a blockade, and they're not letting anyone through."

Though they had heard his side of the conversation with the flight master, they hadn't heard what the problem was exactly, and the group let out a collective gasp at this revelation. Illaria, not knowing what this meant, looked around at each member, trying to interpret its significance. Finally she looked to her right, where Bog now stood. Meeting his gaze, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He returned her unanswered question by silently mouthing the word _later._ Around her, she heard several whispered conversations erupt. From her left, one voice spoke up.

"But Ray, is the Swamp of Sorrows not on a coastline?" Taur's voice was quiet, but firm, cutting through the chatter.

"Yes, it is," Bog cut in. "So?"

"Could we not sail around the southern tip of Stranglethorn Vale, and make landfall at Swamp of Sorrows?"

Ray shook his head. "Nope. The coastline is all shear cliffs. It'd take us almost a full day to climb those. In addition to the half days sail. We'd be too late, and we'd miss our deadline. But its no big deal. There will be riding bats in by dawn tomorrow. So we leave then, then we have a two hour flight to Swamp of Sorrows. Then its just an hour ride to Kara, and we have plenty of time before our deadline. For tonight, we're staying in the inn. Pair up, grab a room, and be ready by dawn tomorrow." With that, the group dispersed, leaving only Ray, Bog, and Ria.

"So, ya have a question there, tiny?" Bog asked as he turned towards her.

"Yes. I do not understand. What is the problem?" She spoke softly, hoping that she would not draw undue attention from the guards who stood nearby. While she might be able to pass as a very tall Blood Elf, if anyone got a good look at her, or heard her voice, it might compromise her disguise. For that reason, she tried to keep her head down at all times, and to say very little.

"Ah," Ray began. "Well, its simple. The Alliance has three flight paths in close vicinity to Karazhan. The Horde has one. With no bats to fly us there, we'd have to ride our mounts to Karazhan. But with the blockade on the pass, we can't ride there. So for now, we're stuck here."

"Ah," she said. Now she understood everyone's shock and disappointment. If they didn't make it to Karazhan by their check-in deadline, then the guild that had been chosen as their seconds would be tasked with doing what the Keepers had originally been assigned. If that happened, their reputation would be tarnished, plus they would lose the reward money, the items given as a reward, and when the time came to call upon a guild to handle such a tough task, the call may go to another guild. A great deal was on the line. "Well, I now have a second question. Where am I to sleep tonight?"

"You and I will share a room," Ray responded so quickly, Ria felt her cheeks turn a deep blue as she blushed.

"Bullshit," Bog cut in. Ria widened her eyes in in shock at the sudden outburst. "You're getting a room to yourself, Ray. I'll stay in Ria's room and play guard. YOU need to sleep. No women. No all night drinking. No wandering out in the middle of the night. Just sleep." As he spoke, Bog's voice became more authoritative, and it was clear that he would not back down on the issue.

Ray merely stared back at the Hunter, neither of them blinking. After several tense seconds, Ray sighed and dropped his head, and Ria felt her heart go out to him, though she couldn't quite understand why.

"Fine," he said, his voice heavy with resignation. "Fine. I'll sleep. But Bog? Do you know whats its like to see your death played out a hundred times before your very eyes, and there's nothing you can do to change it? Do you know whats its like to know what will be used to kill you? And who it is thats going to kill you?" At this he raised his head, and in his eyes she could see the pain and fear that he felt. He took a shuddering breath, and when he spoke again, his voice trembled with emotion. "No creature should know how its going to die, Bog. Nothing. Not even the Scourge or the Burning Legion. I can't sleep without seeing it. It plays over and over and over again." He chuckled lightly, but there was no humor in the sound. "Its getting to where I see it _when I blink_. Now tell me. Would _you_ want to sleep if you saw that?"

For a few moments, Bog said nothing. He simply stared at his friend as if Ray had sudden taken off his own skin and revealed himself to be an ogre. _Thats what he has been going through. And all because of me,_ she thought. Finally, Bog snapped out of his spell, and, putting an arm around her shoulders, turned her towards the inn. Together they walked towards it, leaving Ray to himself. As they turned into the door, she twisted her head around to look at the Shaman. But he was already stalking off in the opposite direction, his posture revealing none of the emotion he had just displayed.

* * *

Darkness fell slowly, quietly. Around him, he could feel the world tugging him every direction. Normally, under such conditions, he would have closed his eyes and meditated, feeling the world and the elements around him. But if he did that, then his vision would come back to him. And that would most certainly _not_ help to calm him. So instead he sat cross legged on the ground and blocked everything out. Breathing slowly, he proceeded to unfocus his eyes, seeing everything and nothing at once. Then he drew in on himself, trying to find his center again. The part of him that he always went to when he needed peace. He had always imagined it as a small flame or candle, something warm and comforting, but with power and the potential to do great damage as well. It gave him solace, and helped to ease any troubles he felt. 

So focused was he that he didn't even hear her walk up and sit next to him. Initially, however, she thought he was simply watching the final rays of sun set into the ocean. It was peaceful here, and the view of the ocean and sunset were dazzling. There they sat together, neither speaking a word. She knew that Taurgard, Sukar, and Miyari were all in the woods somewhere, out of sight, but watching her. Had she felt the need, she could have reached out to the forest to reveal their locations. But she didn't. She simply sat, quietly, in the clearing with Ray, silence embracing them. Finally he said something. It was so sudden that it caught her off guard.

"Trianna..."

She didn't know what it meant. But still, it drew her attention. She looked over at him, hoping he'd explain who Trianna was. _What a beautiful name,_ she thought to herself. _But who IS is?_ Unexpectedly he sighed. It was a long, shaking sound that seemed to come from the deepest part of him, as if he was trying to exhale all his stress and pent up emotion. She knit her brow in confusion. The Tauren had been acting strangely since Cairne Bloodhoof had revealed their shared destinies, and the tragic result of Ray's. Still she stared, examining as much of his face as she could see. And yet still, he said nothing. Finally, she reached out a hand and laid it gently on his arm. His brown fur felt surprisingly soft beneath her hand. So much so, that she couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed it before. The thought flickered through her mind as another appeared on its heels. Ray hadn't registered her hand on his arm.

Softly she cleared her throat. No response. She cleared it again, this time a bit louder, and with more force. Still, he stared ahead, never blinking. Timidly, she spoke his name, "Ray?" His only reaction was a shuddering breath. She glanced around to see if any of her bodyguards had revealed themselves so that they might help the leader of their raid. But still, the clearing was empty. Finally, in one last attempt, she positioned her hand in front of his face and snapped her fingers. He jumped and twisted towards her, his eyes seeking the face of his intruder. Vaguely, she was aware of his right hand pulling back and forming into a fist. But he relaxed when he recognized who it was.

"Ria," he said, his voice surprised. "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she blushed, but she couldn't understand why.

"I thought you were watching the ocean," she responded. "So I thought I'd come sit with you, and we could spend some time together." Immediately she recognized how that sounded, and her cheeks darkened more. Frantically, she thought of something else to say. "Though, um, if you want to be alone, thats fine. Uh, I just...You know. Um..." She sputtered the words, and somewhere in her mind, she realized how much she sounded like a dithering idiot. Mentally, she kicked herself. She looked down at the ground, avoiding his eyes in embarrassment. "I'll just go."

But he simply chuckled. It was a deep, hearty sound, with none of the pain he had expressed mere moments before. Gently, he reached out a hand and wrapped it around hers, preventing her from leaving.

"Its fine," he said. "It'd be nice to have the company." Maneuvering his head, he looked up at her. _He's eyes are an awfully deep blue,_ she thought to herself. Somewhat numbly, she nodded her consent, and sat down again, folding her legs beneath herself and resting her palms in her lap. Ray, on the other hand, uncrossed his legs and stretched them out before him. Leaning back, the Shaman then placed his two massive hands behind him, and rested his weight on them.

They sat silently at first, neither wanting to break the peace of the moment. As surreptitiously as she could, she studied him. She had little doubt that the Shaman could crush her with one arm if ever he felt the desire. She noticed a number of places where he had obviously received wounds from battle. Fur missing here. A scar there. This surprised her. Normally, injuries treated with healing techniques healed faster, and more often than not prevented scarring. So why would he keep them, knowing that they may mar him the way that they did?

"Something catch your eye?" His voice sounded so loud. But immediately she realized why. Caught up in her pondering, she had begun staring openly. Gasping, she felt herself blush for being caught.

"Uh, no. Sorry," she answered, looking at him directly. She had intended to leave it at that, but then changed her mind. "I was just noticing how many scars you have. And I was wondering why you did not choose instead to have them healed." She continued looking at him, determined to keep eye contact this time.

Her question caught him off guard. It was not at all what he had expected, and for a moment his mind reeled with surprise as he dumbly looked down at his own body. It took him several moments, but his mind finally caught up with what he wanted to say.

"Well, I guess I've got two or three reasons for it. The first is that these were all minor injuries. If its minor, there's no need troubling both a healer and the elements for a heal. Second is that I like to push myself. To see how well I can do when I'm at less than 100. And third...Well, the third is the most important. I look a lot more dashing with the scars!" He flashed her his famous grin. The one that women loved.

Illaria laughed at his response. She was sure that he had been joking with her in his last response. But there was a look in his eyes that told her he thought it was true at the same time.

Silence again enveloped them. But as it did, a new question rose in Illaria's mind. And before she could begin to think on it, she heard it pass her lips.

"Ray? Who is Trianna?"

He rocked visibly from her question. A number of questions quickly ran through his mind. _How did she find out? What should I tell her? Should she know the truth? Should I lie? What if she asks someone else? _

She could see the internal battle he was waging with himself. She hadn't known that it would bother him so much, and she regretted her curiosity immediately. Snapping her face forward, she apologized profusely. "I'm—I'm sorry," she sputtered out. But the damage was done, and she knew it. After a few seconds, she glanced at him again. She could see the sadness in his face. But something else, as well. She could see resolve.

He locked eyes with her. He didn't know why. He just felt the need to explain, and have her believe what he said. Gazing into her eyes, he said the words that he knew would shock her more than just a little.

"Ria, Trianna is my wife."


	12. Chapter 12 On the Pain of Past Scars

**Man, this chapter was hard for me to write. I wrote and rewrote it at least 3 times, not to mention the countless number of rewrites I did mentally. It was originally going to be a really emotional chapter, and I think that that shows in the beginning. Then, as I wrote, I realized that last chapter or two have been somewhat filled with drama. So I decided to change it. But I still think that it turned out pretty well. Next chapter, things will kick off. I promise! Fortunately, the whole time since my last chapter wasn't a total waste, since I not only managed to get started on the one chapter that inspired writing this whole story, but I also took one of my original draftings, and will use that in a future (previously) unannounced fanfic, which I've ALSO already started. O.o Anyway, yesh. Sorry for the delay.**

* * *

She felt her body freeze before the words even completely registered. _What_ had he said? He was going to tell her that he had been married? Would he reveal the whole story? Or just the important parts? Would he tell the elf about her part in it? What _she_ had done for him? Or would he leave that part out? She certainly hoped that he would only give her the overview. The last thing she wanted was the Night Elf to have any respect for her.

Suddenly aware of how loudly she was breathing, she forced herself to calm down, slowing her breathing in the process. While the chances of her being spotted, either by Ray, Illaria, or any of the guildies assigned to protect her were slim, she still didn't want to risk being caught. Originally she had followed the Night Elf with the intention of slipping a dagger between her ribs, the fact that the elf had stumbled upon Ray put a damper on her plans. So instead she had sheathed the dagger, and instead opted for gathering what information she could. Perhaps if she was lucky, Ray would leave, and her opportunity to assassinate the elf would arise.

Ya'Viri shifted as quietly as she could, and settled down to wait as long as it took.

* * *

Illaria couldn't believe what she'd heard. He was married. And yet he'd been flirting with her. Almost constantly, too. Before she knew it, she was on her feet, glaring down at him while he simply looked up. She was furious. She could feel her cheeks growing warm and her head beginning to swim as she replayed those five little words in her head again and again. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. It exploded from her in a way that she didn't quite expect. She slapped him as hard as she could, and was rather disappointed when he didn't bleed or make a sound.

Suddenly she realized what she'd done, and why this had mattered to her, and she brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped. She had begun to have feelings for him. But the fact that he was going to sacrifice his life for her had made it harder for her to see how she felt. But now that he was out of her reach entirely, it made her realize her true feelings. Numbly, she sat down again and stared at her hands, hoping to avoid eye contact.

"I assume that means that you're upset." He didn't sound upset or hurt. That was a good sign.

"A little bit, yes," she responded meekly.

"I don't know why," he said. "I mean, its not like there's anything you could do about the situation."

_The situation? What does he mean by __**that**__?_ She looked at him, puzzled.

"Ah. I thought you'd heard a bit about her," he said as he turned to look at her. She could clearly see the pain written on his face, even in the fading light. "Ria, Trianna _was_ my wife. I guess that that would have been more accurate."

For a few moments, she sat there, silent, processing what he said.

* * *

Ray sat quietly, waiting for her to say something. He knew that his admission earlier had shocked her. That much was obvious. But he couldn't help but wonder how she would handle this new bit of information. He couldn't help but note that she bit her lip when she was deep in thought. It was adorable. Just one more cute thing she did to add to the rapidly growing list of cute habits. Probably a habit that she'd picked up when she was younger, and she never quite shook it off.

He let the silence drag on for just another moment or two, just to make sure he had her attention. Somehow, it seemed important that she knew this.

She really didn't like how he was dragging this on. But still, she knew that this was important. So she waited.

Finally, he took a breath, as if preparing a battle. One which he knew would probably be his last.

"Ria, I _was_ married. Her name was Trianna. She was a Druid, who specialized in the Feral aspects, like yourself. She took a month off of her training for our marriage and honeymoon. Her shan'do told her that things would be ok, since she was so far ahead of her peers. She went back to training just after they started walking the Emerald Dream." Illaria's eyes went wide as he mentioned the Emerald Dream, because she almost certainly knew when he was going to say next. But she kept her mouth shut, and let him continue with his story. "The day she went back, they were going to enter the Dream, and stay in it for a full day. Her mentor warned her not to stay in the full time. Only to practice entering and leaving the Dream, first. So that she could become acquainted with it. But naturally, she didn't listen. She was like me in that regard. Sort of cocky, and a bit _too_ sure of herself sometimes," he smiled faintly, as if recollecting some long past memory. She wished she could see it with him, so that they could both share in the experience. But too soon the smile faded, and she knew that he was back to reliving that which cost him his wife. "She got the jump on her shan'do. Managed to mangle him up pretty badly before he was able to fight her off. So, following her animal instincts, she fled. I'm...not really sure _why_ she returned to where she did. Maybe part of her was still alive in there. Or maybe she just stumbled across the house. I, uh, wasn't home at the time. But our house steward was."

* * *

He paused to take a breath. She couldn't blame him. His wife had gone insane in the Emerald Dream. It wasn't a common occurrence. But then again, it wasn't terribly rare, either. Those that lost themselves in the Dream typically took on one of their animal forms, and with it, the skills and senses. And even if they didn't take on a form, they were immensely dangerous. So much so that they were generally hunted down and killed, simply for the safety of others.

She couldn't imagine the pain he had endured, having his wife suffer such a fate. Silently, and with a sympathetic look on her face, she reached out and grasped his hand in hers. He looked down at it for a moment, numbly. After a few moments, he looked up at her and smiled, gratitude in his eyes.

"I came home and found his body. It had been partially eaten. I went to...um...I don't even know. To check it, I guess. Next thing I knew, I was face down on the floor. And for just a half second, time slowed down, and I knew that something bad was about to happen. And sure enough, it did. I felt this splitting, burning pain along my back. Do you know what it was?" He looked at her pointedly, as if expecting that she would know the answer. She had a haunting suspicion that she did, but didn't dare speak the answer, for fear that it be true. So instead, she shook her head.

"Sure you do," he continued. "It was her claws. She had pounced on me, and started to tear me apart."

"What...What did you do?" She asked quietly.

He smiled, bittersweet. "What any living thing capable of speech and feeling pain would do. I screamed. Somehow, for some reason, that got her to stop and back off of me. I flipped onto my back, despite the pain, to get a look at what had attacked me. Up until that point, I didn't know what it was. But once I saw her, I knew."

Illaria stared at him, perplexed. Nobody should really be able to tell one transformed Druid from another. Yet somehow, he had. She had to know.

"How did you know? That shouldn't be possible."

He smiled at her knowingly, as if the answer absurdly simple. "She had a special set of bracers, you see. They had a customized enchant, and a side effect was that they were visible in her animal form. Well, I caught sight of those bracers, and knew immediately what had happened. She'd spoken many times of the madness that the Dream could evoke, many times. It..." His voice choked, and he had to swallow several times to recover his composure.

She could see his eyes begin to fill with tears as he relived the moment. She smiled, hoping to reassure him as she reached out and squeezed his hand. His eyes met hers, and she could see the pain and vulnerability in them.

"Um...Yeah, anyway. Once I saw the bracers, I knew what had happened, and what had to be done. So as she lunged, I threw up my arm," he raised his left arm in a mimic of the motion. "She sank her teeth in deep. But while she was preoccupied with ripping my arm apart, I drew a dagger and sank it into her rib cage. That got her to release real quick, since she probably realized that I wasn't gonna just roll over and die. Or maybe the pain awakened some sane part of her buried within the madness. But when that dagger went in, she let out a howl unlike anything I'd ever heard, let go of my arm, and ran off.

I tried to get up, but found that I was too weak. So there I lay, bleeding to death. I passed out...I dunno. Shortly after. I thought that it would be the last time I closed my eyes. I awoke a few days later. Bog had walked in shortly after I had passed out. Fortunately Miyari and Monasti were both in Thunder Bluff. I'm just grateful that they are such talented, powerful healers. They managed to save my life. They said it took them nearly three days to stop the bleeding and close the wounds. Once I wasn't in any danger of the wounds re-opening, I had them stop and just bandage me up. I've carried the scars ever since."

* * *

"May I see them?" She couldn't help herself. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she immediately regretted the request. Fortunately, he smiled.

"I get that a lot," he said as he began unbuckling his gauntlets. After a few moments of work, he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Her eyes locked immediately onto the spot. The wound was hard to miss. Two large spots, easily half an inch in diameter, looked like someone had gouged out a chunk of flesh. She leaned forward, trying to get a closer look.

"Did her teeth punch through your mail?" She looked up as she asked, realizing only then how close their faces were. This close, she could really see into his eyes, and she realized how much he was opening up to her. She could feel his warm breath on her face. Vaguely, she was aware that her breathing had picked up, and that they were both staring into the eyes of the other. She felt his fingers running through her hair, bringing their faces closer to one another. She took a deep, shuddering breath, & closed her eyes...

A twig snapped somewhere to her right, and her eyes flew open as she instinctively sought out the source of the sound. There, standing at the edge of the clearing, looking somewhat embarrassed, stood Taur.

"Ray," he said, his voice deep and grave. "It is getting dark, and this is still disputed territory. It would be wise for use to head back soon."

Ray nodded his head in acknowledgment. "You're quite right, Taur. We'll head out in a few minutes."

Taur bowed deeply and turned, stepping silently out of the clearing.

Ray coughed awkwardly, trying not to think of the spoiled moment. "So…" he said casually. Too casually, in her opinion. She smiled mentally, knowing that he was trying to dismiss what had almost happened. He stood and began brushing dirt off of himself.

"I think that we had better go before Taur explodes from worry." He extended his hand, offering to help her up, but she merely looked at it for a moment before shaking her head.

"Ray, may I see the scars on your back?"

He jerked, both mentally and physically, as a number of questions flew through his mind. Why did she want to see them? What would she say? Furthermore, what would she think? Could he even bear to tell her? Even now, years later, the incident was still immensely painful for him.

She must have sensed his hesitation, because she broke eye contact, and instead focused on her hands. When she spoke again, her voice was small and meek, as if she were embarrassed by her own request.

"I don't mean to offend you," she said. "I just want to see the pain that you endured at the hands of another Druid. Particularly one so dear to you."

* * *

He sighed quietly for a moment, making a decision he didn't really agree with.

"Alright," he said as he turned. "Just...Don't be shocked. They're pretty ugly." He removed his breastplate and grabbed his shirt, preparing to remove it. He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath, bracing himself.

He lifted his shirt and waited for her to say something. At first there was nothing. Then the silence began to drag on into what seemed to be infinity...

* * *

She reached out gingerly and brushed her fingers against the angry red and purple scars. They stretched from his shoulder blades, all the way down to his lower back. Ten large, angry lines followed the contours of his back, each gouge easily two inches wide and an inch deep. She focused slightly, probing the injury just below where it had healed over. Underneath, she felt his body screaming in pain. It was muted slightly by time, but it was still there.

Without warning, she felt a presence lurking in his injury. It was small and faint, and had definitely weakened over time. It sensed that she had detected it, and tried to hide. But she merely focused more, intent on finding out who or what had been hiding inside Ray's body. She was aware, vaguely, of Ray talking to her, but she was so focused that his words fell on deaf ears. The world began to shimmer and change color, a result of her entering the Emerald Dream.

Slowly, a figure began to overlay Ray's form. It was her height, but bulkier. Without warning, it lunged at her. At that close of range, there was no way she could avoid it. The figure dove into her, and for a fleeting moment, she felt herself falling into darkness….

He felt her hands leave his back. Assuming she was done, he lowered his shirt and turned, but found Illaria with her back to him, standing deadly still and silent. He stood for a moment, awkwardly unsure of what to say. But it wasn't he who broke the silence, because as he stood, contemplating how to break the silence, she spoke first.

"She loved you very much, your wife," she said quietly.

Unable to think of a response, he simply nodded.

"She told me to give you a message: 'a dangerous enemy at your front is safer than a traitor at your back.' Ray, I...I think you're going to be betrayed."


End file.
